In The Community
Today, Dolores Huerta, one of the most important Latino icons within civil rights, is turning 94 years old. This occasion is the perfect opportunity to celebrate not only her robust life but also her immense contributions as a social justice champion. Huerta is a living legend whose tireless efforts have helped transform the landscape of civil rights, feminism, labor rights, farmworkers’ rights, and even environmental justice.
Huerta’s influence has been far-reaching, and her work has inspired generations of activists and advocates both in and outside the Latino community. Her work continues through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which passionately advocates for the rights of underrepresented people and empowers them through grassroots organizing, civic engagement, and education initiatives.
But how did Huerta’s journey begin?
Born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, Dolores Huerta was raised in Stockton, California, where she learned the value of activism from her parents. Her father, Juan Fernández, a union activist and politician, showed her the importance of fighting for justice from a young age. Huerta attributes much of her feminist outlook to her mother, Alicia, who was known for her compassion and involvement with the community.
Huerta took her first steps as an activist when she was studying at Stockton High School and joined various groups and organizations. Once in college, she earned a provisional teaching credential from the University of Pacific's Delta College. Her experiences as a teacher actually ignited her passion for addressing economic injustices because she was exposed to the inequalities her students and their families were facing.
It was during her tenure with the Stockton Community Service Organization (CSO) that she started organizing her activism. She founded the Agricultural Workers Association and spearheaded voter registration drives and advocacy for better living conditions for farmworkers. Later on, her collaboration with César Chávez led to the formation of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), later known as the United Farm Workers (UFW), where her organizing skills played a pivotal role in securing landmark victories for farmworkers, including the Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
During this time, she coined the chant “Si Se Puede,” which President Obama later made central to his first presidential campaign.
Huerta’s activism extends beyond labor rights. She became a fierce advocate for women's liberation within the farmworkers' movement, challenging gender discrimination and fostering inclusivity. She was also known for her commitment to non-violence, which is one of the guiding principles of her advocacy to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the struggle for justice.
Throughout her life and advocacy, Huerta faced many different challenges, such as physical assaults and overall societal pushback. This didn’t deter her, though, and her strength never wavered, which is a big reason why she’s considered a hero within the civil rights movement. Even after her life was threatened by an assault during a protest at the age of 58, Huerta continued advocating, focusing mainly on women's rights and political empowerment.
Today, at 94, Dolores Huerta isn’t slowing down. As the founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues to mentor and inspire new generations of activists. Her commitment to grassroots organizing and community empowerment remains as strong as ever. Huerta’s legacy isn’t just a collection of awards, although there are many of them and they’re all well-deserved. More importantly, it’s one of the most inspiring examples of the power of ordinary people coming together to effect extraordinary change.
As we celebrate Dolores Huerta's 94th birthday, let’s honor her activism and reaffirm our own commitment to important social justice causes. Join the Dolores Huerta Foundation in commemorating her life and legacy on social media with the hashtag #VivaDolores. Share your stories, post your favorite quote from her, record a video about how she has inspired you, or simply spread the word about this remarkable woman who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place.
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La Malinche is one of the most well-known historical figures and representatives of indigenous women in Mexico. Also known as Maltintzin, Malinalli, or Doña Marina (as the Spanish called her), she was known as Hernán Cortés’s translator during the Spanish conquest. As a result, La Malinche has been perceived as a traitor to her own people, something that has been memorialized in Mexican slang. Being called a “malinchista” is the same as being called disloyal or a traitor to one’s country and culture.
However, it’s important to remember that we know very little of her life or her experiences as Cortés’s translator from her perspective. Instead, her story has been consistently appropriated, retold, and altered in post-colonial Mexico by intellectuals and their political agendas.
If a truly thoughtful analysis is the end goal, different lenses should be considered when looking at historical figures. La Malinche is no exception to that. Rather than revisiting the narrative of betrayal, what would it look like to consider her life through the lens of resistance, resilience, intelligence, and survival?
La Malinche 101: Who Was She?
Malinche started as a domestic slave to Cortés, but since she dominated the Mayana, Nahuatl, and Spanish languages, she quickly became indispensable to the Spanish conquistador as an interpreter. Her role focused on facilitating communication, but she wasn’t just a translator, she was compelling and gifted at creating political connections.
This is how she became caught between two empires.
Many accounts speak of how she became Cortés’ lover as well, but there’s nothing that indicates there was actual love between them or that Malinche was a willing participant. Whether or not she was helpful to Cortés, she was still a slave. But what’s known for sure is that they had a physical relationship, which resulted in a son and one of the first mestizos, Martín Cortés.
Where the “Traitor” Label Comes From
The most interesting thing about Malinche is that she was adaptable and resilient. Those characteristics drove her decisions, which then made her the perfect figure to bear the brunt of the responsibility. What cemented her perception as a traitor is that she saved the Spaniards from an ambush by the Cholulans. She did this by sharing information given to her by the wife of a native leader. Malinche was offered safety if she went with them, but she decided to deliver the information to Cortés.
That led the Spanish conquistador to massacre the people of Cholula and march directly to the capital of the Aztec Empire. But was she really a traitor, or was she just doing what she was taught to do? Even if Malinche is recognized as an intelligent and resourceful woman, it’s important to keep in mind she was bred to obey.
Before she was gifted to Cortés, she had been a slave for years and from an early age. Betrayed by her own people and family, it’s easy to see how it became her nature to serve her master, whoever that may be. Does that mean that, in sharing that information, she wished for the Cholula massacre or the subsequent fall of the Aztec empire? The truth is, we can’t know her intentions for sure. The issue with that is no room has been left for interpretation because scholars, through the centuries, have negatively defined her intentions.
Was La Malinche Really a Traitor or Just a Woman Trying to Survive?
There’s no denying that La Malinche’s influence on Cortés was profound and she played a role in his success, gaining status herself. She helped Cortés form alliances and uncover plots, and she was also his consort. It’s also undeniable that there are no records regarding how she felt about the role she was forced to play.
She was easily written off as a traitor, but it’s not a matter of black and white. There are too many factors to consider about the complexity of her life. While some of her actions can be interpreted as treacherous, it’s important to remember that her negotiations saved her people from violence before the Cholula massacre, and the Aztecs respected her for that.
Despite her vilification, La Malinche’s legacy is a clear example of resilience, resistance, intelligence, and the transcending of simplistic narratives that have surrounded her story. She has immense significance in Latino history and more nuanced conversations about who she was have sprouted through the years.
La Malinche: A Misunderstood Icon
The life of La Malinche took place between two opposite sides of a global conflict. She was a trafficked girl and enslaved young woman who used the skills she had to survive. To discuss her story in black and white is a disservice to her and how women are defined in history - if they’re included at all.
Through a decolonized and feminist lens, it’s possible that she wasn’t just a temptress or a selfish traitor, but rather a complex woman who existed at a very complex time and who, like any other human, could have had both selfish and selfless virtues. What’s universally accepted, however, is that she was forced into a complicated role, and that complexity is what has enabled her to rise as an icon in history.
In a world abundant with challenges, particularly for the Latino community, these women, burdened with representing millions of voices, but taking on the challenge as best they could, stand out as genuine heroines. They don’t have capes or supernatural powers, but they stand out with their steadfast courage, unwavering dedication, and the remarkable ability to shape the course of history.
Mainstream historians regularly exclude Latina contributions to the development of the United States and its culture. If they won’t tell their stories, the rest of us will because these vibrant and powerful narratives of these extraordinary women deserve to be known and most importantly, learned from.
Helen Rodríguez Trías
Courtesy of the Rodriguez-Trias family
A medical doctor and activist born in New York. Rodriguez Trías carved a legacy through tireless advocacy for the health and reproductive rights of women and marginalized communities.
As the first Latina to preside over the American Public Health Association, her influence transcended the boundaries of conventional medicine.
Rodríguez Trías co-founded pivotal organizations such as the Abortion Rights Committee, the Women's Caucus of the American Public Health Association, and the Committee to End Sterilization Abuse. Her pivotal contributions were evident in the drafting of federal sterilization guidelines, where she played a crucial role in ensuring informed consent was presented in a language accessible to women, coupled with the introduction of a waiting period between consent and the procedure.
Dolores Huerta
One of the most well-known workers’ rights advocates, Huerta, a union leader and civil rights advocate born in New Mexico, stands out with her unwavering commitment to labor justice and her inspiring leadership in the struggle for equality for farm workers.
As a co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW), she served as a beacon of hope for farm workers and members of marginalized communities. Huerta boldly confronted labor injustice in the fields, spearheading strikes and movements aimed at achieving fair working conditions and farmer rights.
Her motto "Sí, se puede" resounded with those who yearned for change, and became an emblem of unity and empowerment. The motto, often attributed to labor rights leader Cesar Chavez or the UFW in general, was coined by Huerta during Chavez’s 1972 25-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona, which was then famously borrowed by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in his campaign slogan, Yes We Can.
In addition to her work with the union, Huerta has fought tirelessly for civil and social rights equality. Her unwavering advocacy led to significant progress, such as equitable practices in the agricultural industry.
Ana Mendieta
© THE ESTATE OF ANA MENDIETA COLLECTION
Born in Havana, Cuba, a conceptual artist was not only known for her exceptional artistic skills but also for her strong dedication to exploring themes of identity, land, and femininity through her work.
After moving to the United States, she became a significant figure in contemporary art, particularly in representing the Latina experience. Her art was unconventional and dealt with fundamental themes, ranging from the relationship between the body and nature to reflecting on her Cuban heritage.
Mendieta played a significant role in the conceptual and performance art movement, which was mostly dominated by men. She was one of the few women who gained prominence in this field.Ellen Ochoa
© NASA Johnson
Ochoa is a renowned astronaut and engineer, born in California, who has made notable contributions to the history of space exploration.
She joined NASA in 1988 and quickly made a name for herself, earning the distinction of being the first Latina to reach space in 1993 aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
Dr. Ochoa's contributions to optical systems for information processing were significant due to her degrees in physics and electrical engineering.
She received NASA's most prestigious awards, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award. Her legacy resonates as a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of women in breaking barriers and forging paths in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Sylvia Rivera
© Valérie Shaff
Born in New York, Rivera was an activist and advocate for transgender rights and dedicated her life to the fight for equality and visibility for transgender communities.
She co-founded the Gay Liberation Front and the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and played a crucial role in the fight for transgender rights.
Rivera was a strong advocate for the recognition and respect of transgender voices, challenging discrimination, and fighting for equal rights in the LGBTQ+ community. She actively participated in the Stonewall Uprising, going on record to tell the story of her role in the protest. Though she didn’t throw the initial Molotov cocktail, she “threw the second one.”
In the six days of protests, Rivera never went home, staying behind and advocating for trans rights, making sure that the “T” in LGBT wasn’t forgotten.
These Latina women, each a superhero in her own right, have left an indelible mark on the world, proving that courage and dedication can transcend barriers and shape a more equitable and just future for us all. Celebrating their stories reminds us that the true power of heroism lies not in capes or supernatural abilities but in the relentless pursuit of justice, equality, and positive change.
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