Dolores Huerta is known for being a social justice pioneer in the 20th century. She is the daughter of two immigrants and was born in New Mexico in 1930. When she was young, Huerta’s parents split up and her mother moved her family to California. Growing up, Dolores witnessed first hand the discrimination immigrants faced in this country. Before she was an activist,Dolores was a teacher at an elementary school. There she saw that her students who were children of farm workers, show up with empty stomachs and bare feet. That is when she decided to fight for farm workers rights to give them access to healthcare, break periods, safe working conditions, and be paid a fair wage.
She officially began her activist career in 1955 when she co founded Community Service Organization (CSO) where she was able to help people vote from impoverished communities and advocate for economic improvement for people throughout the nation.While at CSO, Huerta met Cesar Chavez, an activist who shared her interest in farm worker’s rights and together they founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). During her time in the NFWA Huerta was able to organize many protests and strikes. One of her biggest accomplishments is helping organize the Delano Grape boycott which lasted for ten years until workers got their basic rights. Huerta continues to fight for women’s rights today and educate others on serious issues through the Dolores Huerta Foundation.