Dolores Huerta, Labor and Civil Rights Leader, Dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, the labor and civil rights leader who popularized the rallying cry "Sí, se puede!", died at the age of 96. The Dolores Huerta Foundation announced her death, and her family also announced it, according to ABC News.

Huerta helped found the United Farm Workers (UFW), a labor union for farmworkers, and co-founded it alongside Cesar Chavez. Teresa Romero is currently president of the union.

Huerta also helped organize the 1965 Delano grape strike, a national boycott of table grapes, the fruit sold fresh rather than processed. According to The Guardian, the campaign resulted in better wages and working conditions for grape pickers. Her work is commemorated in California, which in 2018 declared April 10, her birthday, as Dolores Huerta Day.

CNBC described her as a labor leader, feminist and civil rights icon. Activists, lawmakers and civil rights leaders paid tribute after the news of her death, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, The Guardian reported.

The Dolores Huerta Foundation describes itself as a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and organizing communities to pursue social justice. Its grassroots work focuses on civic engagement, education equity, health and safety, and LGBTQIA+ equity.