Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader And Civil Rights Icon, Dies At 96

Dolores Huerta, who co-founded what became known as the United Farm Workers union to help secure better pay for laborers, has died at age 96.

Huerta’s team, in a statement shared through her foundation, said she passed away on Wednesday at home in Bakersfield, California, “surrounded by her close family.”

In a separate statement, Huerta's family remarked on the "incredible loss" and said they will "share plans to recognize and celebrate" her legacy at a future date. While a cause of death was not shared, the New York Times, citing family spokesperson Erik Olvera, said cancer was behind her passing.

Huerta, who campaigned for the rights of migrant laborers throughout the 1960s and 70s, is credited with coining the rallying cry “Sí, se puede”—“Yes, we can.” The phrase inspired generations and was famously adopted by former President Barack Obama, who presented Huerta with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.

Upon receiving the award, Huerta credited the advice her mother had once given her: "If you see people that need help, you have an obligation to help them, and you shouldn't wait for people to ask." Huerta said that once she had acquired the necessary skills, she honored that obligation by teaching people "how to come together and be able to fight" for their rights.

“One of the few women lobbyists of her era, [Dolores] became a formidable advocate for people who could not afford one,” reads the obituary shared by Huerta’s foundation. “Her legislative victories included a California measure allowing driver’s license examinations in Spanish, the extension of Aid to Families with Dependent Children to California farmworker families, and disability insurance protections for agricultural workers.”

Huerta founded United Farm workers with Cesar Chavez in 1962 and served as its vice president for almost four decades. She worked closely with Chavez until his death in 1993. Earlier this year, Huerta came forward with allegations against Chavez, accusing him of having sexually abused her in the 1960s. “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here,” said Huerta in a statement in March.

The abuse led to two pregnancies, Huerta said, explaining that she "chose to keep [the] pregnancies secret and, after the children were born, arranged for them to be raised by other families that could give them stable lives."

Huerta said she was driven to share her experiences after an investigation released by the New York Times revealed accusations that Chavez, a long-celebrated icon of the labor movement, groomed and sexually abused multiple girls and women who worked in the movement.

Huerta said she had "carried this secret" for so long because she feared speaking out would compromise her life’s work and risk all the progress made for laborers.

“The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way. I channeled everything I had into advocating on behalf of millions of farmworkers and others who were suffering and deserved equal rights," she explained.

In April, Huerta was named on TIME's list of the "100 Most Influential People of 2026." Her long-time friend and fellow activist, Gloria Steinem, who died in September, wrote a tribute acknowledging the recognition.

Celebrating Huerta for stepping forward, Steinem said: "We can all learn from the courage and conscience Dolores and others have modeled. The truth about Chavez reminds us to look honestly at the behavior of everyone, including our leaders, and to lend support to those who may be hurt by misused power... Dolores’ impact, like that of many other activists, will continue to guide us, regardless of the hurtful behavior of any one individual."

This is a developing story and will be updated.