Dolores Huerta's journey from elementary school teacher to revolutionary labor leader was ignited by the injustices she witnessed daily -- children of farm workers arriving at school malnourished, barefoot, and exhausted from helping their families in the fields. In 1962, she channeled her outrage into action, co-founding the National Farm Workers Association with Cesar Chavez and dedicating her life to ensuring that the families who fed America could afford to feed themselves. This Labor Day, we're honoring Dolores Huerta and the 2.4 million farmworkers who work tirelessly to put food on our tables!
Born Dolores Clara Fernandez in a New Mexico mining town in 1930, Huerta grew up mostly in California, in a region with plentiful farms. Inspired by her mother's example, Huerta became interested in civil rights from an early age and was also actively engaged with the Girl Scouts until the age of 18. Huerta worked briefly an elementary teacher in California, but quickly switched gears to focus on economic justice.
Huerta spent the next 60 years working as a union leader and activist for women's and farmworker's rights, covering issues ranging from limiting exposure to toxic chemicals to encouraging the participation of Latinas in elected office. At the United Farm Workers, Huerta directed the national boycott of the California grape industry during the famous Delano grape strike which resulted in a historic collective bargaining agreement with the table grape growers in 1970. Today, at 95, Dolores Huerta continues to work on behalf of the working poor, women, and children through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, the foundation she founded to focus on community organizing and civic engagement.
Today, as ICE raids have often targeted farmworkers, most with deep roots in their communities and no criminal histories, the fight for worker's rights is more critical than ever. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, notes that an estimated 80% of farmworkers in the U.S. are foreign-born, with nearly half lacking legal status. ICE raids and the fear generated by them has led to a decrease in agricultural employment by 155,000 workers in just the last four months. Such a steep decline is not only devastating for the workers and their families but also to many American farms which were already suffering from worker shortages.
"In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone," sixth-generation farmer Lisa Tate in Ventura County, California told Reuters last month. "If 70% of your workforce doesn't show up, 70% of your crop doesn't get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don't want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust."
One strawberry farmer, only identified as "F", recently told NPR, that "a lot of the migrants have left. The rest are hiding." He said that Trump's harsh immigration policies, including raids, mass detentions, and deportations, are "going to end us... The government is killing farming." Due to anticipated worker shortages, "F" says he's already being forced to make changes for next year: "I'm drastically cutting down production next year to 35% of what I usually do." Of course, as many farmers across the country are forced to make similar decisions to cut production due to fewer farmworkers, American consumers will inevitably face rising prices and shortages of fresh produce at grocery stores nationwide.
Many of us never think twice about the journey our food takes from field to grocery shelf -- who picked those perfect strawberries or who harvested the lettuce in our salads. This Labor Day, it's time to recognize the millions of farmworkers who make our abundant food supply possible, laboring through grueling conditions and living with constant uncertainty, yet continuing to show up because they know America depends on them to keep our tables full. As Dolores Huerta taught us with her rallying cry "¡SĂ, se puede!" -- yes, we can -- let us stand alongside these essential workers in their fight for dignity, fair wages, and the right to work without fear or persecution.
To help support the rights of farmworkers this Labor Day, you can donate to the critical work of Farmworker Justice at https://farmworkerjustice.org/
For a powerful book for tweens about the experience of being a farmworker told through the eyes of a girl during the Great Depression, we highly recommend "Esperanza Rising" for ages 10 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/esperanza-rising
To introduce young readers to the pioneering labor leader Dolores Huerta who fought for the rights of farmworkers, we highly recommend the bilingual English/Spanish picture book “Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/side-by-side) and "Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers" for ages 6 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dolores-huerta)
Huerta is also one of 40 Latinas featured in "Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/latinitas
For books for children and teens about the contributions of women to the fight for workers' rights, visit our blog post "Fighting For Justice: 25 Books About Women and the Labor Movement" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=9881
For books for all ages starring Latina Mighty Girls, visit our blog post "60 Empowering Books Starring Latina Mighty Girls" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13062
