Dolores Huerta, a civil rights activist and organizer of farmworkers in the United States, has died at the age of 96. In the 1960s, she co-founded the United Farm Workers union with Cesar Chavez.
Her family announced her death on Wednesday in a public statement. “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing today of our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta,” the statement said. Her family asked for privacy as they grieve.
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Born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, in the United States, Huerta was raised with her siblings by her mother, Alicia, after her parents divorced. Alicia was an entrepreneur who was active in the agricultural community.
For most of her life, Huerta worked to improve conditions for farmworkers and protect marginalized communities. The UFW became a major force in the fight for fairer wages and better conditions for agricultural workers in the United States.
For a long time, her role in the movement received less attention than Chavez’s, as he became the union’s better-known public face. Earlier this year, in an interview with The New York Times, Huerta said Chavez had raped her in 1966 during the union-organized grape boycott.
According to her account, Chavez took her to an isolated vineyard in Delano, California, where the sexual assault occurred. Huerta told the newspaper that she had not reported this incident or an earlier one in 1960, when, she said, Chavez had forced her to have sex during a work trip.
Huerta explained that she remained silent because of the way police treated the farmworkers’ movement and because she feared union members would not believe her. These are the allegations she made in her account to The New York Times.
Her family said details of memorial services would be announced later. “You understand that we are going through an extraordinarily difficult time. We ask for privacy as we mourn this great loss to our family,” the statement said.
Her relatives added that they understand people around the world share their grief and that they would announce plans to honor Huerta’s life and legacy at a later date.
She will be remembered for decades of commitment to defending farmworkers, her efforts to advance equality and her contributions to the civil rights movement in the United States.
