USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
MapDolores Huerta Dies At 96; Family Says Cancer Caused Death
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Dolores Huerta died at 96 at her Bakersfield home, per family statement. She co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez.
Huerta dies at 96
Dolores Huerta died at 96, her family said, and a spokesperson for her family confirmed her cause of death was cancer. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers, and Huerta’s family statement said, "We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96,". ABC News reported that Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with fellow activists Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla, which would eventually become the United Farm Workers of America.
Huerta was born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, a small mining town in northern New Mexico to Mexican parents involved in union activism, and she grew up in Stockton, California. Huerta’s family statement said, "As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family."
Tributes and political legacy
Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol to be flown at half-staff and described Huerta as a close personal friend. Newsom said, "She's an icon, and what's so difficult is, you know, I can't imagine what she's gone through in those last few months, with the revelations around Cesar and how hard that must have been for her in these last few months,". Assemblymember Diane Papan told KGO that Huerta was "a trailblazer to the end," and she said, "Dolores Huerta represented the best of us."
The UFW said in a statement posted to social media that Huerta coined its motto "Si Se Puede!" and that "Her life's work was to empower her community to face and overcome injustices." The BBC reported that Huerta continued her advocacy work on immigration and voting issues through her foundation, and her family spokesman Erik Olvera said, "As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family."
Revelations and what follows
Huerta told ABC’s John Quiñones in 2026 in response to a New York Times article detailing allegations that Chavez abused women and minors, and Huerta said she was "manipulated and pressured into having sex" with Chavez. Huerta said she detailed two alleged separate sexual encounters with him in the 1960s, and she told Quiñones, "I thought that abortion was a sin." Huerta said both alleged encounters led to pregnancies that she kept secret, later arranging for the children to be raised by other families, and the BBC reported that Chavez died in 1993.
The New York Times said Huerta told the Times, "I never talked about it to anybody, and the reason I didn’t is because I just didn’t want to hurt the movement,". The UFW said Huerta’s greatest monument was for the union she helped found to continue, and it said, "Our greatest monument to her memory is for the union she helped found to continue to grow."