Dolores Huerta, Farm Workers' Champion, Dies at 96
Dolores Huerta, the labour leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, died on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at the age of 96. Her family announced the death through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which posted an announcement on its website.
Erik Olvera, speaking for the family, said she died of cancer at her home in Bakersfield, California. Reporting from CNBC said she was surrounded by family when she died.
Singer Becky G was among those who paid tribute. In an Instagram Stories post, she called Huerta "a true legend." Earlier, Becky G had presented Huerta with the first Luminary Award at the La Cena Celebration of Latino Culture in Hollywood, according to Rolling Stone.
Huerta built her name in farm labour. She co-founded the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, and she worked for decades on behalf of migrant farm workers, the people who pick much of the food sold in American shops. Her union work was built on organising, which means bringing workers together to speak with one voice about pay and conditions.
She is also remembered for a slogan. Huerta coined the phrase "Sí, se puede!", Spanish for "Yes, we can," which has been chanted at marches and rallies for decades. In 2012, then-President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.
The Dolores Huerta Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, carries on her organising work. Its programmes focus on civic engagement, education equity, health and safety, and LGBTQIA+ equity, according to the foundation's website.
For the people who knew her through the union halls and the picket lines, the loss is personal. For everyone else, her death closes a long life spent asking that farm workers be counted, and that their voices be heard.
