Dolores Huerta ends her silence, champions decades of advocacy for marginalized groups

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was Dolores Huerta who coined the slogan “Si, se puede” in 1972 when bringing together farmworkers in Arizona to fight a law that prohibited boycotts and strikes.

Told it would be impossible to organize in the Southwestern state, her three-word Spanish-language response — which translates as “Yes, it can be done” — was simple, defiant and emblematic. Huerta’s resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation’s most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists.

Former President Barack Obama would later credit her for the phrase that was a rallying cry in his 2008 campaign in a slightly modified translation, “Yes, we can.”

As co-founder of what eventually became the United Farm Workers union, Huerta has been the face of a movement that for decades aimed to empower the lives of workers through higher wages, health benefits, pensions and improved safety.

At nearly 96, she still uses her platform to advocate for marginalized groups and fight discrimination.

So it shocked the world Wednesday when Huerta revealed that she was sexually abused by the movement’s co-founder, César Chavez, leading to the birth of two children, a secret she kept for 60 years.

Now some are calling for Huerta’s name to replace Chavez’s on the plethora of government buildings, schools, monuments and streets that bear his name across the country.

Activist roots

The details of Huerta’s life and rise to activism have been told again and again over the decades through interviews and documentaries, during award ceremonies and on historic markers in her honor.

She was born Dolores Clara Fernandez in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico. Her father was a miner, union activist and state lawmaker. After her parents divorced, her mother took Huerta and her two brothers to California.

The farm-rich San Joaquin Valley where Huerta grew up was a melting pot of Mexican, Filipino, African American, Japanese and Chinese working families. Her mother encouraged the cultural diversity, while her independence, entrepreneurial spirit and activism further helped form Huerta’s own aspirations.

Huerta was a young, energetic elementary school teacher when she decided to answer a calling that would set her on an incredible path. Frustrated by her students’ poor living conditions, she thought she could do more by organizing farmworkers than trying to teach their hungry children.

She met Chavez in the 1950s through her early work with a Latino civil rights group in Stockton, south of Sacramento. Wanting to focus more on the plight of farmworkers, in 1962 they started the National Farm Workers Association, which became United Farm Workers a few years later. She was a key leader and negotiator for the union.

Chavez, who died in 1993, once described her as fearless, acknowledging her commitment to the cause and toughness when it came to negotiations.

Huerta reaffirmed that commitment in a statement Wednesday, saying she told no one about Chavez’s abuse for decades in order to protect the movement she had dedicated her life to.

“I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farm workers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights,” she said.

A long legacy

Huerta has never been afraid of going toe-to-toe with lobbyists or growers. Nor was she afraid of law enforcement — she was jailed more than 20 times for demonstrating and was even seriously injured while protesting in 1988.

After a long recovery, Huerta shifted focus and hit the road to campaign for women’s rights and encourage Latinas to run for office.

She continues marching and speaking in cities across the country on race, poverty and women’s issues on behalf of her California-based Dolores Huerta Foundation. She campaigned for Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton, Obama and Joe Biden, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he considers her a close friend.

Huerta’s work over the decades earned her a number of accolades including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. When Obama presented the award in 2012, he praised her as a tenacious leader and joked that he had stolen her slogan for his campaign.

Huerta also has a spot in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, having been the first Latina to be inducted, and has received nine honorary doctorates from U.S. universities.

Schools are named in her honor in California, Texas and Colorado. Her image graces many murals, and there are also Dolores Huerta streets — including an avenue in Albuquerque where part is named for her and part for Chavez.

People on social media already are calling for the entire road to be named for Huerta, as members of Congress and state officials commend her and the other women for coming forward. They say no one should have to suffer in silence to protect a man or a movement.

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering they’ve endured over decades,” said U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico. “Thank you for showing us what real strength is.”