CFA Honors the Life of Dolores Huerta, an Icon in the Labor Movement

CFA members join with other workers, labor organizers, and social justice advocates to celebrate the legacy of Dolores Huerta, who passed away last Wednesday.

Huerta was a major figure in the labor movement. A visionary labor leader and civil rights icon, her work helped transform the lives of agricultural workers and challenged the many systems that perpetuated inequality for marginalized people and their communities. She inspired so many that came after her, including a myriad of our own members.  

Within our own union and throughout labor and social justice movements, we often hear people shouting, “Sí se puede!” which translates to, “Yes we can!” It is a term popularized by Huerta, and has become a rallying cry for workers, women, immigrants, students, and communities fighting for dignity and justice around the world.

Most recognized for being a co-founder of United Farm Workers (UFW), she dedicated her life to organizing farmworkers and advocated for fair wages, safe working conditions, and healthcare. She confronted the exploitation they faced and led environmental justice boycotts to ban or restrict the use of toxic pesticides that were poisoning field workers and local farm communities.

Her impact reached far beyond farmworkers’ rights. At a time when women were often marginalized within the labor movement and broader political domains, Huerta challenged existing gender barriers for women and truly elevated their voice and leadership within the labor movement. She encouraged and inspired women to run for public office and later became a huge supporter in the struggle for reproductive rights.  

“As I reflect on Dolores’ transition to the ancestors, I ask our ancestors to welcome her with a loving embrace,” said Theresa Montaño, tri-chair of CFA’s Teacher Education Caucus and CSU Northridge professor. “May she be surrounded by family, loved ones, and the thousands of workers whose lives she touched. I thank her for her dedication to social and racial justice and for advocating for those whose voices many ignored. I want to assure her that we learned organizing from her—to be among the workers, listening, trusting, and mobilizing. I remember how, as a college student, she patiently taught the young people present how to do the solidarity clap. I will do my best to carry on her legacy by reminding my students and colleagues, ‘Sí se puede.’”

Huerta taught us that real power comes from when we organize people at the community level, and that we must also move beyond one-time wins towards societal transformation. She demonstrated the need for collaboration and cross-movement solidarity, and emphasized the phrase, “None of us are free until all of us are free.”

Her legacy lives on through all the workers she influenced and organized. We are grateful for her life and her leadership, and there is no doubt her presence will continue to carry our work forward here in CFA.