Rachel Williams

Dolores Huerta, the labor and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union, has died at the age of 96. Her family announced her death on Instagram. "As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family," the family wrote. "We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy." Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, now known as the United Farm Workers, with Cesar Chavez in 1962 to improve working conditions for farmworkers. She organized strikes and negotiated contracts, helping farmworkers gain job security, healthcare and better labor conditions, among other benefits. Her work also helped lead to the passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, the first law that gave U.S. farmworkers collective bargaining rights. Huerta is also credited with giving the UFW its rallying cry, "Sí, se puede," Spanish for "Yes, it can be done." Earlier this year, Huerta revealed that Chavez sexually assaulted her in the 1960s. Outside of the UFW, Huerta also fought for change in immigration, voting rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights and more. Huerta received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 2012. Photo by Mike Blake via Reuters