Following the news that Dolores Huerta – the civil rights icon who popularized the rallying cry “Sí, se puede! – had died at the age of 96 on Wednesday, activists, lawmakers and civil rights leaders paid tribute to Hureta’s long and lasting legacy.
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activists → follow → legacy
In California – where Huerta helped found the United Farm Workers (UFW) union – her death was deeply felt.
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death → help → union
It was in California’s central valley that she laid the foundations for the United Farm Workers, and helped organize the 1965 Delano grape strike – a national boycott of table grapes that resulted in better wages and working conditions for grape pickers.
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that → lay → pickers
Several schools in California bear her name, and murals across the state depict her likeness.
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murals → bear → likeness
And in 2018, California declared 10 April – her birthday – Dolores Huerta Day.
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California → declare → April
“From the fields of California to the halls of Congress and the White House, Dolores dedicated her life to ensuring that every voice – especially those too often silenced – was heard,” said Hector Sanchez Barba, the president of the voter mobilization organization Mi Familia Vota.
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Barba → dedicate → organization
“Her historic rallying cry, ‘Sí, se puede,’ is not just a slogan; it is a living call to action that continues to unite and inspire millions across the world.”
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that → puede → world
“Our greatest monument to her memory is for the union she helped found to continue to grow.
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she → find → memory
Dolores fought for farm workers to the very end of her life,” said UFW president Teresa Romero.
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Romero → fight → life
“The greatest possible tribute to her life is for her work of organizing to continue.”
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work → continue → organizing
Huerta’s legacy is national and international; her portrait hangs at some US embassies and schools in several US states are named after her.
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portrait → hang → her
She helped negotiate national immigration policy, and remained, until her death, intimately involved in promoting civil and labor rights in Washington DC and across the US.
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She → help → US
Tributes also came from some of California’s biggest political names, including Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, Gavin Newsom, the governor, and former vice-president Kamala Harris.
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Tributes → come → Pelosi
“Dolores was a dear friend, and we all responded to her rallying cry, ‘Sí se puede,’ which inspired generations of Americans to believe in the power of collective action,” said Pelosi.
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Pelosi → respond → action
“May it be a comfort to her family and loved ones that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.”
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many → love → time
“I was blessed to know Dolores for many years and proud to organize alongside my dear friend to champion working families and immigrant rights,” said Harris.
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Harris → bless → families
We will honor her legacy by continuing the fight for the dignity of every person.”
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We → honor → person
“Dolores Huerta represented the best of us,” said Newsom.
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Newsom → represent → us
“California – and the United States – would not be what we are today without her resolute spirit, her passion for justice and fairness, and her commitment to those overlooked and forgotten.”
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we → overlook → those
“The best tribute we can pay is to carry on the work, which means standing with workers, defending civil rights and organizing for a more just California,” echoed Alex Padilla, US senator representing California.
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Padilla → pay → California
You did everything,” said Xavier Becerra, the former California attorney general and former US health secretary who is running for governor.
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who → do → governor
“If you want to know where a leader will take you, know where they come from.
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they → want → where
Dolores never let us forget where she came from.
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she → let → where
Si, se pudo [Yes, we did].”
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we → do → ?
Lawmakers across the US, including Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the New York congressperson, also hailed her trailblazing legacy.
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Lawmakers → include → legacy
“For decades after the Delano Grape Strike, she continued to organize for the rights of working people, women and immigrants.
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she → continue → people
She continued to fight for the idea that when ordinary people come together, they can change the course of history,” said Ocasio Cortez.
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Cortez → continue → history
“While we mourn her devastating loss, we will continue her fight to build a country where every worker, regardless of race, gender, or economic status, is treated with dignity.”
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worker → mourn → dignity
Lawmakers thanked Huerta for her efforts to promote female candidates to public office.
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Lawmakers → thank → office
Eloise Gómez Reyes, the state senator who brought legislation in 2018 to mark 10 April as Dolores Huerta Day in California, said that she was mourning “the loss of someone who profoundly shaped my own life”.
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who → bring → life
“Dolores Huerta taught generations of us that we did not have to accept the world as it was. That ordinary people, working together, could challenge powerful institutions, overcome injustice, and build something better.
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people → teach → something
She didn’t simply open doors for women like me.
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She → open → me
She taught us that we had the power to open them for others,” Reyes said.
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Reyes → teach → others
Hilda Solis, a former Democratic congresswoman who became the first Latina to serve in a cabinet position as Barack Obama’s labor secretary, thanked Huerta for her mentorship.
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who → become → mentorship
“Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, I rarely saw Latinas in positions of leadership.
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I → grow → leadership
Dolores was one of the few women who showed me what was possible,” she said.
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she → show → me
“From the state legislature to Congress and my time serving in President Barack Obama’s cabinet, Dolores remained a constant in my life.
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Dolores → serve → life
We joined demonstrations and rallies, stood with workers fighting for their rights and demanded action when people in power looked away …
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people → join → power
Dolores understood the importance of showing up, bearing witness and refusing to let the suffering of women go ignored.”
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suffering → understand → women
Huerta for years was considered the second-in-command to UFW co-founder César Chávez – and spoke about how she had to fight the sexism within the movement, and was often forced to cede credit to Chávez.
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she → consider → Chávez
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
