Dolores Huerta: The Woman Who Taught Us to Say “Sí, Se Puede”

Celebrating Women's History Month with a badass a day.

Let me tell you about Dolores Huerta. Not the sanitized, history-book version of her, but the real, fiery, unapologetic Dolores—the woman who looked at injustice and said, “Not on my watch.”

Dolores was born in 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, but her story really began in the farmlands of California. Her father was a farmworker and union activist, and her mother was a fierce advocate for equality. From them, Dolores learned two things: the value of hard work and the power of standing up for what’s right.

But here’s the thing about Dolores—she didn’t just stand up for herself. She stood up for everyone. In the 1950s and ’60s, she saw the brutal conditions farmworkers endured: backbreaking labor, poverty wages, and no access to basic rights. And she said, “Enough.”

Alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW). She wasn’t just a figurehead; she was the backbone of the movement. She organized strikes, negotiated contracts, and fought for better pay and working conditi…