Dolores Huerta, labor activist and civil rights icon, dies at age 96

Updated on: October 28, 2026 / 1:02 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Dolores Huerta, the labor activist and civil rights leader who co-founded with Cesar Chavez the group that later became the United Farm Workers, has died, her family said in a statement posted to social media. She was 96.

Huerta's family said in a statement through her foundation that she died Wednesday at home.

"As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family," the family said. "We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning."

Huerta kept a busy schedule well into her 90s, marching in protests and speaking in cities across the country about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ and women's rights on behalf of her Bakersfield, California-based foundation.

Huerta's resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists. Her three-word Spanish-language slogan "Sí se puede" — which translates to "Yes, it can be done" — was grounded in the belief that people could affect change.

Her work over the decades earned her a number of accolades, including…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/