Campus News
Honoring Dolores Huerta and her extraordinary legacy
Dolores understood the value of hard work and believed deeply that those whose labor sustains our communities deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Dear Campus Community,
I join our colleagues at the Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas and people around the world in mourning the passing of Dolores Huerta, whose extraordinary life helped reshape the labor, civil rights and feminist movements in this country.
Dolores understood the value of hard work and believed deeply that those whose labor sustains our communities deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. As co-founder of the United Farm Workers, she amplified the voices of farmworkers whose struggles too often go unheard. Over more than six decades, she expanded that fight, championing the rights of women, immigrants, and marginalized communities everywhere. She was a tireless advocate, a remarkable organizer, and an unwavering believer in the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change.
I will always remember the October 2022 celebration at our Hay Barn when we named our Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas in her honor. The energy in the room was unforgettable. Dolores connected with everyone, taking time to speak with the many students and others who wanted just a moment with her, a quick word or a photo. The admiration and affection for her were palpable, and rightfully so. She had a remarkable ability to bring people together, inspire them, and help them see the change they could make in the world.
We are immensely proud of our campus’s connection to Dolores and understand the profound responsibility of stewarding a research center that bears her name. Her remarkable legacy lives on through the center’s work and through the countless people she inspired to build stronger, more just communities. That connection grew stronger in 2024, when early support from the UC Santa Cruz Foundation and a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation enabled UC Santa Cruz, in partnership with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, to establish a public archive of her personal papers. Through this work, future generations will have the opportunity to learn from her extraordinary life and carry her legacy forward.
While we mourn this tremendous loss, we also celebrate a life that demonstrated what courage, compassion, and collective action can accomplish. Dolores did more than advocate for a better world. She inspired others to believe they had the power to build one.
On behalf of UC Santa Cruz, I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched.
¡Sí, se puede!
Cindy
Cynthia Larive
UC Santa Cruz Chancellor