The American activist Dolores Huerta, considered a key symbol in the defense of labor rights, especially of the Latino population during the second half of the 20th century, has died this Wednesday at the age of 96, according to her family has confirmed.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has died today at the age of 96", her children announced on the social media of the foundation that bears the activist's name.
Huerta was cofounder of one of the most influential unions in the recent history of the United States, the United Farm Workers of America, a key piece in the advancement of labor rights against the Bracero Program: the agreement between the United States and Mexico that allowed the entry of more than 4.5 million Mexican workers to work in the American countryside under inhumane conditions within the development policies after World War II.
The activist began her career precisely to stand up to the abuses committed against Mexican braceros and, together with the best-known figure of the union, César Chávez, promoted the protests that contributed to the suppression of the program in 1965.
During those years, Huerta suffered two sexual assaults by Chávez. The first, according to Huerta told the "New York Times", occurred in 1960, when Chávez pressured her to have sexual relations. The second took place in 1966, an episode that Huerta described as a rape.
In 2012, the then president of the United States, Barack Obama, awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor. Throughout her life she was detained on more than 25 occasions during different mobilizations; the last time she was arrested by the Police was in 2019, when she was 89 years old, while participating in a union protest to demand better wages for home health care workers.