Pioneering California civil rights leader Dolores Huerta dies at 96 – NBC Los Angeles

Pioneering California civil rights leader Dolores Huerta dies at 96  NBC Los Angeles

Dolores Huerta, a towering figure in the farmworker and labor movement in California has died at age 96. Pioneering civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, a towering figure in the farmworker and labor movement in California, has died, according to her family. She was 96. Erik Olvera, a family spokesperson, said she died of cancer Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield surrounded by family. "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96," Huerta's family said in a Facebook post announcing her death. "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.

We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy." Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation’s fruit and vegetable fields and coined the enduring “Sí, se puede!” rallying cry. She continued her activism work well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking across the country on issues on poverty, race, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights. Huerta was born Dolores Clara Fernandez in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, to a farm worker and