Labor leader and feminist activist Dolores Huerta dies at 96
The labor and civil-rights icon died of cancer, and Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags flown at half-staff in her honor.
- Labor and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta died Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at age 96 in her Bakersfield home, her family announced. A spokesperson confirmed she had been battling cancer.
- In 1962, Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez, later renamed the United Farm Workers. She served as chief negotiator and coined the movement's enduring slogan, "Si, se puede," meaning "Yes, it can be done."
- Earlier this year, Huerta revealed to the New York Times that she was sexually abused by Chavez in the 1960s, a secret she kept for 60 years to protect the movement. She later spoke out to support other survivors of his alleged abuse.
- U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury called Huerta "a friend," while Rep. Joaquin Castro praised her as a "trailblazing civil rights leader" for improving countless lives through decades of advocacy.
- The Bakersfield-based Dolores Huerta Foundation, which she co-founded in 2003, continues her legacy through executive director Camila Chavez, who leads grassroots organizing efforts to advance social justice and systemic change.
489 Articles
489 Articles
Dolores Huerta's Civil Rights Legacy Reaches Across Racial Lines
Pioneering labor leader dies at 96, leaving a lasting impact on Black and Latino communities and America’s fight for equality. Dolores Huerta, the pioneering civil rights activist and labor organizer whose fight for farmworkers’ rights helped reshape America’s struggle for social and economic justice, died Wednesday, October 28, at her home in Bakersfield, California. She […]
“It is a Sad Day”: Billie Jean King Expresses Grief Over Civil Rights Activist’s Passing
One of the US’s most well-known Latina civil rights leaders, Dolores Huerta, has passed away at the age of 96, and her passing has deeply affected Billie Jean King. She died of cancer on Wednesday, October 28, and spent her final moments at her home in Bakersfield, California. King and Dolores knew each other well, […]
The co-founder of the United Farm Workers union died of cancer in California. Her career was marked by the defense of farm workers, her political activism and the recent revelations about the sexual abuse she reported having suffered at the hands of Cesar Chavez.
The activist died at the age of 96 in her home in Bakersfield, California. Creator of the slogan "Yes, you can," she led strikes and boycotts that transformed trade unionism in the country's fields and left a deep imprint on feminism and the struggle for civil equality.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Salt Lake TribuneDolores Huerta, labor leader and force for civil rights, has died
Dolores Huerta, who with Cesar Chavez founded what became the United Farm Workers and led strikes and boycotts in the 1960s and ’70s that unionized many California table-grape growers, changing laws and the lives of thousands of migrant laborers, died Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, California. She was 96.
The American unionist and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta is dead.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
![[your]NEWS](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgroundnews.b-cdn.net%2Finterests%2Ffb6dc495f74049f513563c33352175eaa0ecd509.jpg%3Fwidth%3D60&w=128&q=75)
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
