Dolores Huerta on Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Activists
By LA Stories Staff Los Angeles
PUBLISHED 2:05 PM ET Dec. 16, 2019 UPDATED 5:05 PM ET Dec. 16, 2019
LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez profiles civil rights icon Dolores Huerta.
At 89, Huerta has spent most of her life as a political activist, fighting for better working conditions for farmworkers and women’s rights. She’s a firm believer in the power of political organizing to effect change and is now focusing on 2020 Census participation.
Her role in the farmworkers movement has long been overshadowed by that of Cesar Chavez, her longtime collaborator and co-founder of what became the United Farm Workers of America union. Huerta coined the movement’s famous slogan, “Sí Se Puede!” — Spanish for “Yes, we can” — which inspired President Obama’s own campaign battle cry.
She emotionally opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about her pain and guilt on the fateful day that Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Huerta was at his side at the podium as he celebrated his primary victory moments before he was gunned down.
On the campus of a Los Angeles elementary school named in her honor, Dolores talks with Giselle about the importance of sharing her accomplishments with young women and opening the doors for the next generation.
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