By Mia Portillo
“¡Si, Se Puede!"— a phrase that translates to “Yes, We Can!” — is one that embodies the legacy and resilience of Dolores Huerta, born on this day in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, to a farmworker and miner.
At age five, Huerta’s parents divorced and she moved to live with her mother, Alicia, in Stockton, California. Alicia worked two jobs, as both a waiter and factory worker, saving up money to eventually purchase a hotel. As the hotel owner, she often provided free rooms and resources to local farmworkers, becoming known for her generosity. Growing up in this environment provided Huerta the inspiration for her work organizing and advocating for farmworkers later on.
After graduating high school, Huerta earned a degree in education and began to teach the children of farmworkers. Seeing students come to school hungry and without proper clothing moved her to create tangible change. She began her activism career in 1955, co-founding the Stockton chapter for the Community Service Organization, a grassroots group that fought for improved civil rights for Hispanics.
Carrying the skills learned from this experience and with a particular focus on Latino farmers, Huerta began working at the forefront of the Chicano Movement to establish the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). Through non-violent protests, Huerta played a pivotal role in securing union contracts for farm workers, increasing wages, establishing pesticide regulation, and eventually passing The California Labor Relations Act. Though Huerta is best known for her leadership in the farm workers’ movement, she has had far-reaching influence. For example, alongside activist and organizer Gloria Steinem, Huerta advocated for gender equality for farm workers while also supporting the broader fight for equality of the feminist movement.
Huerta’s work as an educator never fully stopped. She remains an advocate today, fighting for women’s liberation, impoverished communities, immigrants, and children. One way her work is carried forward throughout the nation is through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which was founded in 2022. The Foundation’s wide range of programs empower current and future generations by providing mentorship, civic education, leadership training, and resources for grassroots organizations.
In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Huerta the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of her legacy as a champion of fair treatment for all workers and as a model of leadership for future generations. Her work was officially recognized as a national holiday in 2023. Today, on the 3rd anniversary of this holiday, we carry forward the hope that collective action and solidarity can continue to drive meaningful change, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
Mia Portillo is a Cisneros Scholar majoring in Political Science. Mia's views are her own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.