Economic Change
Modern U.S. History Period

Dolores Huerta

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Dolores Huerta was a social activist, political leader, and labor organizer. She grew up in New Mexico and California, the daughter of migrant laborers. Through her youth, she gained important understanding of the struggles which many agricultural workers faced during the Depression era. She became increasingly active with workers groups in the 1950s, when she became involved with the Agricultural Workers Association. During this time she met Cesar Chavez, a labor leader from Arizona and southern California. At the AWA she and Cesar gained important knowledge of the labor rights movement, and eventually left the AWA in 1962 to form the National Farm Workers Association, a group that would become the largest agricultural union in the country, the United Farm Workers, in 1972. As second-in-command to Chavez, Huerta became one of country’s leading labor activists, and would be responsible for organizing several successful boycotts, protests, and rights campaigns throughout the twentieth century.

Dolores Huerta holds a sign
Here Huerta holds up a sign in protest. “Huelga” means “strike” in Spanish.
Fusco, Paul, photographer. "[Farm workers during a strike in Delano, California.]" 1966. Look Magazine Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Collection, Library of Congress.
One of Dolores’ first major victories was as the strike organizer for the Delano grape workers in 1965. Her success on the front lines of the protest won her enough support to become the group’s first negotiator. She would go on to unify a cross-country boycott against the grape produces and distributors. Seen here is an image of two women protesters in Delano in 1966, the type of workers with whom Huerta would have worked.
Fusco, Paul, photographer. "[Migrant pea pickers (woman and child), Delano, California.] 1966. Look Magazine Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Collection, Library of Congress.
Huerta was raised in a farmworker community in Stockon, California, where her daily activities included picking crops like those seen here.
Map of California roads for cyclers
Huerta organized workers all throughout the agricultural country in California, which ranged from the Southern border with Arizona all the way through the middle-section of the state.
United Farm Workers. "Boycott Lettuce & Grapes." Circa 1978. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Huerta was a vociferous advocate of strikes and boycotts. Seen here is a sample campaign posters by the United Farm Workers, the organization Huerta created along with Cesar Chavez.