Dolores Huerta, the labor and civil rights leader who co-founded the union that became the United Farm Workers of America, has died at 96, her family announced.
The family shared the news Wednesday morning in a statement on Huerta’s official Instagram account.
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“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today,” it said.
The family asked for privacy while they grieve and said they will share plans to recognize and celebrate her life and legacy. The statement did not give a cause or place of death.
Huerta joined César Chávez in 1962 to found the National Farm Workers Association, which grew into the United Farm Workers of America. For many, the pair’s work for farmworkers’ wages and conditions put them in the company of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
Huerta’s death comes months after she made a deeply personal disclosure. In March, she said she was among the women and girls who say they were sexually abused by Chavez. The New York Times first reported that he had groomed and abused young girls in the movement, and Huerta told the outlet she was a victim in her 30s.
Huerta was a guest on KSAT’s Pickup Lines with Ernie Zuniga in August, in an episode that aired just weeks before her death. At 96, she reflected on the experiences that shaped her life’s work.
>>WATCH HERE: Pickup Lines: Dolores Huerta reflects on a lifetime of activism, organizing and empowering others
Asked how she wanted to be remembered, Huerta pointed again to activism, voter registration and helping communities take control of their futures.
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