Civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta dies aged 96

American civil rights leader and labor activist Dolores Huerta has died at the age of 96, according to announcements made by her family. BBC News, CNN, the New York Post, and The New York Times, among other outlets, all reported her death on Wednesday. Family spokesperson Erik Olvera requested privacy during what he described as an incredibly difficult time for the family. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Huerta spent decades fighting for farm workers' rights during the 1960s and 1970s. BBC News reported that she campaigned along with Cesar Chavez and co-founded the United Farm Workers Union with him. The New York Post added that Huerta continued her activism in California and was a pioneering figure in the state labor movement. [1][3]

The New York Post reported that in March 2026, Huerta publicly revealed rape allegations against the late Cesar Chavez. Those revelations led multiple California individuals and organizations to condemn Chavez and remove his name from public monuments. [3]

Huerta worked for several years with the Community Service Organization before co-founding the National Farm Workers Association alongside Chavez and Gilbert Padilla. That group merged with another union to form the United Farm Workers. She managed boycott campaigns on the US east coast, helped negotiate agreements with grape companies during the 1965 Delano grape strike, and originated the slogan "sí se puede". She later established the Dolores Huerta Foundation in 2002 to encourage community organizing. [10][11]

In her later years, Huerta focused her activism on voting rights and immigration issues. BBC News reported that she carried out this work through her foundation until her death. [1]