Dolores Huerta, a monumental figure in the American labour movement and a dedicated civil rights activist, has passed away at the age of 96. Her family confirmed the news on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, stating that the long-time organizer died in the morning while surrounded by loved ones. According to Erik Olvera, a spokesperson for the family, Huerta had been suffering from cancer.
For nearly four decades, Huerta served as the vice president of the United Farm Workers (UFW), the union she co-founded alongside Cesar Chavez. In the 1960s, she emerged as the primary organizing force behind the farmworker movement, orchestrating strikes, walkouts, and negotiations that secured significant improvements in working conditions for millions of agricultural labourers. Her efforts helped define the landscape of labour rights in the United States, even as she balanced her career with the demands of raising a large family.
While Huerta and Chavez were long viewed as the public faces of the struggle, the inner workings of the union were revealed to have a more complex history. Within the last year, Huerta publicly disclosed that she was one of several women whom Chavez had raped. In a statement provided to the New York Times, she detailed her experience of abuse, noting that the power dynamic between them as leader and subordinate created an environment where she felt unable to resist. These revelations added a stark, dark dimension to the history of a movement long considered an icon of left-wing advocacy.
Despite the challenges she faced, Huerta maintained a prominent role in political activism throughout her life. In recent years, she continued to lead the Dolores Huerta Foundation in Bakersfield, California, focusing on the protection of migrant labourers facing increased immigration enforcement. In a 2025 interview, she expressed deep concern regarding the state of American democracy, drawing parallels to historical authoritarian shifts, and urged for more aggressive community action.
Huerta’s influence reached the highest levels of American political life. In 1968, she was present on the podium with Robert F. Kennedy shortly before his assassination. Later, she was honoured by President Barack Obama, who recognized her influence on his own political career, specifically noting that his famous campaign slogan, “Yes, we can,” was an adaptation of Huerta’s own rallying cry, “Si se puede.” Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her decades of service.
The announcement of her death has triggered an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum. California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff, acknowledging her historic impact. Former President Bill Clinton also paid his respects, describing Huerta as a “stalwart champion of working Americans” and a “living legend.” Similarly, Representative Nancy Pelosi commended her courage, emphasizing that Huerta’s commitment to collective action had inspired generations of Americans to pursue social and economic progress.
As the family prepares to share further details regarding plans to celebrate her life, her death marks the end of a long and complex era in the U.S. labour movement. Her supporters and colleagues view her as a figure who never ceased pushing for equality, leaving behind a legacy that transformed the lives of countless labourers across the country.
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