Dolores Huerta, labor activist and civil rights icon, dies at 96

Dolores Huerta was a labor activist and civil rights leader who co-founded the group that later became the United Farm Workers.

Dolores Huerta, the labor activist and civil rights leader who co-founded with Cesar Chavez the group that later became the United Farm Workers, has died, her family said. She was 96.Huerta's family said in a statement through her California-based foundation that she died Wednesday. Family spokesperson Erik Olvera told The Associated Press that Huerta died of cancer at her home in Bakersfield and was surrounded by family."As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family," the family said. "We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning."California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who considered Huerta a close friend, ordered flags be flown at half-staff in her honor."Dolores represented the best of us," Newsom said in a statement.

"California — and the United States — would not be what we are today without her resolute spirit, her passion for justice and fairness, and her commitment to those overlooked and forgotten."Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described Huerta's legacy as "proof of what ordinary people can accomplish when they organize.""Dolores reminded us that no matter the odds, no matter the obstacle, we can build a greater life for ourselves, our community, our city, and our country," Bass said in a statement. "She never, never