The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA remembers Dolores Huerta
Huerta, who died last week at 96, was a champion for civil rights and human dignity
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) joins justice advocates nationwide in mourning the passing of Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta, a pioneering labor and civil rights leader and enduring advocate for farm workers, immigrants, women and marginalized communities.
Huerta’s extraordinary life embodied a steadfast commitment to justice and the dignity of every person. For decades, she stood alongside workers whose labor helped sustain the nation, but whose voices and needs were too often ignored. Her leadership helped transform the struggle for farm workers’ rights into a broader movement for economic justice, civil rights, and social change.
Huerta began her professional career as a teacher in the 1950s. Seeing children come to school hungry because their families struggled under the harsh conditions faced by agricultural workers convinced her that she could make an even greater difference through organizing and advocacy.
In 1955, Huerta co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, where she participated in voter-registration efforts and advocated for economic opportunities for Latino communities. She later founded the Agricultural Workers Association and devoted her life to improving farm workers’ lives and working conditions.
In 1962, Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became part of the United Farm Workers. She advocated for better wages, safer working conditions, healthcare and unemployment benefits, and protections from harmful pesticides. She played a pivotal role in organizing the historic 1965 Delano grape strike, which involved thousands of workers, and served as a lead negotiator for the labor agreement that followed.
Her work continued well beyond her years with the United Farm Workers. In 2002, she established the Dolores Huerta Foundation, through which she continued to develop community leaders and advance civic engagement, education, youth development, health and environmental justice, and economic opportunity.
Huerta’s legacy is a reminder that the pursuit of justice requires more than words. She embodied courage, persistence, solidarity, and a willingness to stand with people whose voices have been pushed to the margins.
Her life’s work embodied the biblical call: “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). Huerta demonstrated what can happen when caring people discover their collective strength and refuse to accept injustice.
NCC gives thanks for the life and witness of Dolores Huerta and extends heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, colleagues, and the countless workers, organizers, and communities whose lives were touched by her leadership.
May her legacy strengthen our resolve to labor together for justice, dignity, and peace.
About the NCC
Serving as a leading voice of witness to the living Christ in the public square since 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) brings together 37 member communions and more than 30 million Christians in a common commitment to God’s love and promise of unity.
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