Dolores Huerta, a remarkable activist, left a long lasting mark on the fight for labor rights and social equality. She dedicated most of her life to fighting for the rights of farm workers and marginalized communities. Growing up, Dolores faced many racial discriminating interactions, which helped spark her interest in fighting for equality. For example, a school teacher who was prejudiced against Hispanics accused Dolores of cheating because her papers were too well-written. Before starting her career as an activist, she briefly taught school in the 1950s. Seeing so many hungry farm children coming to school, she thought she could do more to help them by organizing farmers and farm workers. In 1955 Huerta began her career as an activist when …show more content…
In 1965 Dolores became the leading organizer of the Delano strike that included around 5,000 grape workers which later led to the first successful UFW contract. In 1973, she led another grape boycott that resulted in the groundbreaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 which allowed workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions. In 1988, at the age of 58, Dolores faced a life-threatening assault that broke four ribs and shattered her spleen. After her lengthy recovery, she decided to take a leave of absence from the union to focus on women rights. For two years she traveled across the country on behalf of the Feminist Majority’s Feminization of Power: 50/50 by the year 2000 Campaign encouraging Latina’s to run for office which resulted in a significant increase in the number of women in office. Dolores Huerta has made a significant impact through her activism and leadership in advocating for the rights of farmworkers and women. Her dedication and perseverance has inspired generations to fight for social justice and …show more content…
After her lengthy recovery from her life-threatening assault, Dolores Huerta decided to become a part of the fight for women's rights. She worked on the Feminist Majority’s ‘Feminization of Power: 50/50 by the Year 2000’ campaign encouraging more Latinas to run for office. In the article it states, “The campaign resulted in a significant increase in the number of women representatives at the local, state and federal levels. She also served as National Chair of the 21st Century Party, founded in 1992 on the principles that women make up 52% of the party’s candidates and that officers must reflect the ethnic diversity of the nation” (doloreshuerta.org 1). This party focuses on ensuring that political representation matches the makeup of America through gender and ethnic diversity. This supports the idea of Huerta having a pivotal role in advocating for the rights of women immigrants as LGBTQ individuals. She was also part of a campaign that fought and changed the gender discrimination that traveled across
2. Possibly when Dolores Huerta first started working and really was unknown. Employers were not intimidated by her. Dolores would hear sexist comments and would ignore them. Dolores soon proves to anyone who doubted her why she was the negotiator and why she was important to the United Farm Workers union. Once she was heard people started to respect Dolores. Soon enough Dolores Huerta was given the nickname “Dragon lady,” because she was a fierce negotiator and organizing the rights of farm workers.
In countless circumstances, especially in the work force, there are oppressors and there are those who are oppressed against. If one chooses to permit the act of being demoted upon then they will continue to be underestimated and continue to be mistreated. For those who are petrified of speaking out regarding unjust situations they endure, there are people that are willing to promote and try to stop the unjust ways people face when working. Generally in the society we live in today, men do not think women are in any way superior or could make a difference; whether that be in politics or the type of profession that women chooses to practice. Certain people cannot comprehend or step out of this negative critical view point they have towards women because of what they believe is correct and because they picture women as useless objects that should not be taken seriously. You do not hear about many women activists, but there is an abundant amount that actually stepped fourth to alter their community for the ones they care about. Yet Dolores Huerta is a Hispanic female who strived for improving the rules in regards to the way people treat their employers. There was an abundant amount of Mexican-Americans that were being mistreated and were expected to work long periods of hours in the heat, which were farm laborers; all that pain and struggle to receive barely enough to support your family off of. She knew it would take various extents of struggle and sacrifice to reach the goal of altering the union workforce regulations. Dolores Huerta, alongside Cesar Chavez pursued this goal non-violently in order to better the employers because she knew it not only affected them but their families as well. While Dolores Huerta is known as a Hispa...
When asked to write about an important activist who has demonstrated protest, I immediately drifted towards a Hispanic and/or feminist activist. Various names came across my mind initially such as Cesar Chavez and Joan Baez but as a later discussion in class concluded, there are numerous others who are rarely highlighted for their activism and struggles, which lead to me researching more. In my research I came across Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who I felt was an underdog and brushed over activist in the Hispanic community.
She got them rights for safer working conditions with safer machines. Before the factory workers had better rights and safer working conditions, many factory workers would have some of their limbs cut off by the machines. “Mother” Jones started non-violent marches to try and get the factory workers better rights. She didn’t succeed when she was alive, but the laws were passed a few years after she died. She raised the awareness of what happened in the factory, and that is one of the reasons those laws were passed.
Huerta directed and publicized the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC) national boycotts. She was also able to successfully do the negotiating and lobbying for the UFWOC in Sacramento and Washington, DC. Furthermore, Vargas explains that Huerta’s activism helped “bring about a 70 percent increase in wages for farmworkers, health care benefits, disability insurance, and pension plans” (313) Maylei Blackwell, an associate professor asserts that during the Chicano Movement women’s marginalization occurred when women were not seen as real political subjects, but as auxiliary members (65). In addition, Blackwell explains that women were relegated supporting roles, and had their ideas dismissed during meeting, marginalizing them in the political and decision-making process
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks historically known as Rosa Parks, was born February 4,1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama and past away from natural causes at age 92, on October 24,2005 in Detroit, Michigan. Parks lived with her mother Leona McCauley and her father James McCauley. Ater on in 115 her brother was born Sylvester Parks her only sibling.Both of park’s parents worked, her mother was employed as a teacher and her father was employed as a carpenter . Some time later after Parks’s brother was born her mother and father separated. Once the separation was final, Parks moved with her mother to Pine Level, Alabama while her brother and father moved to Montgomery, Alabama. parks was homeschooled by her mother until age 11 and attended Industrial
Towards the end of the 1960s a new era in equal rights took place. Following the example of the race movement earlier in the decade, women decided they needed the same gender equality as men. Up to this time in history women were known to society as house wives, and homemakers. According to David Farber, almost every decent-paying job was strictly held by men. With the increase of support for equal gender rights, Hon. Shirley Chisholm came to the rescue. Being the first woman in congress, she knew the hardships and troubles faced due to gender. When she delivered her speech to congress, it was a stepping stone for the history of women’s rights. With her help and focus on the Equal Rights amendment, it was later passed in 1972.
Mexican farm workers were demanding higher wages. Mexican women played key roles in the strike. Weber writes, “from the beginning of the strike women of all ages--older women,with long hair who wore the rebozos of rural Mexico, younger women who had adopted flapper styles, and young girls barley in their teens--went on the picket lines.”(Weber, 96). Their jobs were to stop the strike breakers. They would do things such as taunt them, and in some situations it would become very violent. The strike would end, but the stories of what these women did still
Shirley Chisholm’s political career arguable began when she joined the Seventeenth Assembly District Democratic Club in Bedford-Stuyvesant. At the age of 34, she was elected as the vice president of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Political League (BSPL). After she ran for the presidency of this league, she eventually quit both the BSPL and the 17AD. In the winter of 1960, she got back into politics. Chisholm joined the National Organization for Women (NOW) immediately after it was established. She and Thomas R. Jones organized the Unity Democratic Club (UDC) to overthrow the white Democratic party. By 1965, she became New York state’s assemblywoman. She actually won by a landslide. In 1968, she is elected into Congress. As a congresswoman, she passed 8 bills. This is highly uncommon since first time congress members are knows as silent members, and they are to vote with their party. Chisholm was very unorthodox with her methods, and she was not afraid to speak her mind. One of the bills she passed setup New York’s first unemployment insurance and social
Dolores Huerta “S se puede,”Dolores Huerta. Huerta was born on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico. Dolores is an outspoken, passionate, determined, and hardworking woman. Dolores was the second child of three children from Alicia and Juan Fernandez. Huerta s parents divorced when she was three years old.
... the poor and sick when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 (Tucker). (WC-827)
How has Huerta advocated for women during her career? Huerta advocated for gender equality and protections for female farm workers. East L.A. Walkouts: Why were Chicano students motivated to organize a protest about their school experiences in the 1960s? What were some of
Mother Mary Jones, while very focused on the rights of male workers, also picked up the cause for child and women laborers. She might have created the first “poster child” of sorts by organizing a march of child laborers on Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1903 (Jones).
Milena Kibret Melissa Morgan English 1 May 2024 “Individuals Who Made a Difference” Research Project Imagine being the first African American woman to have produced a movie, Maya Angelou is able to claim this title and more. Maya Angelou, born April 4, 1928 in Missouri, was an influential poet, writer, singer, and activist who helped make a positive difference in the world. Her early life was a struggle as Maya was raped at 7 years old however, she prevailed this tragedy and continued her life, living her young twenties in the television industry. She started writing and received many awards for her works and her most famous debut was her reading of her poem " On the pulse of morning" at president Bill Clinton's inauguration.
One major factor in why women did not reach equality in America in the past century was their underrepresentation in local, state, and federal politics. Between 1917, when Jeanette Rankin became the first woman to serve in the United States Congress, and 2000, only 219 women have been elected as US representatives or senators. Of these, only 28 have been women of color. In contrast, in the 20th century over a thousand men served in Congress, and 132 men of color. In the 106th United States Congress (which met from 1999-2001) only 58 of the 535 legislators were women, and only 18 were women of color. As a result, laws that benefitted women faced heavy opposition before they could be passed. In addition, women made up the minority of Supreme Court justices and presidential cabinet members at every point in the 20th century, and of the 15 presidents...