She Has 15 Honorary Doctorates And A Presidential Medal of Freedom, And She Made Sure That Farm Workers Got Better Working Conditions As Well As Wages
Staying up to date on today’s activists is important, as many of them have already changed the world in some way.
If you don’t know about Dolores Huerta, one of the most influential labor activists of the 1950s and beyond, this is her story.
Dolores was born in New Mexico in 1930. Her father was a mine worker who eventually became a state legislator, and her mother raised her and her siblings while working multiple jobs.
As Dolores got older, she got her associate teaching degree from the University of the Pacific’s Delta College. While still a student, she married and had two daughters. After divorcing and eventually marrying her second husband, Ventura Huerta, she had five more children.
Dolores was a school teacher in the 1950s and taught in an area where many of her students were children of migrant farm workers. She often witnessed them coming to school hungry and in poor shape, as during this time, migrant farm workers were being paid hardly anything, despite all the labor they were doing.
Sick of seeing these children in such despair, Dolores dedicated her life to giving these farm workers a voice and organizing them.
In 1955, Dolores began her long journey of activism by co-founding the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization. The organization helped Hispanic communities register to vote and fought for better pay. She was introduced to César Chávez, another famous labor leader and activist, through a mutual associate of the organization.
Alongside César, she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962 and the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW) in 1965.
Through peaceful protests, marches, consumer boycotts, and other events, Dolores, César, and members of the UFW demanded more attention toward getting higher wages and better working conditions for farm workers who work hard to feed the nation. It is still considered one of the most impactful labor unions in the United States today.
studio GDB – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Because of the boycotts and protests organized by Dolores and the union, several laws were passed, and contracts were drawn up to ensure better conditions for farm workers. One of the most famous boycotts held by the union was the 1965 Delano strike, where thousands of grape workers went on strike until they could negotiate proper contracts.
Another grape boycott in 1975 led by Dolores led up to the passing of the Labor Relations Act of 1975, which legally allowed farmers to form unions and bargain for better contracts.
In 1988, Dolores suffered grave injuries after being beaten at a protest against the policies of presidential candidate George H. W. Bush before he was elected into office. After a lengthy recovery, she took a break from the union and focused on women’s rights issues.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Dolores supported and worked on the political campaigns of Hispanic women, encouraging more to run for office.
In 2002, she founded the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which strives to provide young people with leadership opportunities, education, and development. Today, she is still heavily involved in the foundation as its president alongside her daughter, Camila Chavez.
Throughout her outstanding career, Dolores has won a series of impressive awards. She’s been given around 15 honorary doctorates, a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, and four schools have been named after her.
Today, at 93, Dolores still stays politically active and dedicates her life to helping others and giving a voice to the voiceless.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
He’s Talking About When He Used To Use A Ouija Board In The Bronx And The Creepy Experiences He Had
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Chicks We Love