The Californer - California: Governor Newsom proclaims Dolores Huerta Day

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Apr 10, 2026

Governor Newsom proclaims Dolores Huerta Day

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring April 10, 2026 as "Dolores Huerta Day."

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below in both English and Spanish:

PROCLAMATION

A powerhouse for working people, civil rights, and justice, Dolores Huerta was born on this day in 1930 in Dawson, a small mining town in New Mexico. Huerta spent most of her early life in the Central Valley of California, where she found her passion for fighting for the rights of workers and their families and helped pioneer a transformative farm labor movement that carries on to this day.

Working as a schoolteacher in a Stockton agricultural community, Huerta often saw her students come to class hungry. The experience moved her to serve as a Community Service Organization leader. Huerta went on to form the Agricultural Workers Association, where she organized voter registration drives and pushed for neighborhood improvements.

In 1962, Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which organized farmworkers for better working conditions. The organization was a predecessor of United Farm Workers, which she later founded in partnership with Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, and other labor leaders and activists. Huerta was a skilled political strategist and negotiator who was integral to the movement's successes, including an international boycott of grapes that led to the first farmworker union contracts and the watershed California Agricultural Labor Relations Act. Over the years, Huerta has demonstrated the bravery to prioritize the principles of the movement she co-founded and the strength of the community behind it.

A leader in so many ways, for so many people, Huerta faced down challenges time and time again. Despite police brutality, violence, sexism, and racism – Huerta has always been relentless in her lifelong pursuit of justice, showing extraordinary resilience. Her determination and skill has earned her many accolades. In 1993, Huerta became the first Latina inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame by a grateful state in 2013.

Through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues her tireless work advocating for marginalized communities and teaching the next generation of organizers to empower others and drive social change. As we celebrate Dolores Huerta's contributions to the labor, civil rights, and women's movements, I urge all Californians to take inspiration from her example and work to make a positive impact in our communities.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 10, 2026, as "Dolores Huerta Day."

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 7^th day of April 2026.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State

PROCLAMACIÓN

Defensora incansable de la gente trabajadora, los derechos civiles y la justicia, Dolores Huerta nació en esta fecha en 1930 en Dawson, un pequeño pueblo minero de Nuevo México. Huerta pasó gran parte de sus primeros años en el Valle Central de California, donde descubrió su pasión por la defensa de los derechos de las personas trabajadoras y sus familias, y ayudó a forjar un movimiento transformador de trabajadores del campo que continúa hasta el día de hoy.

Mientras trabajaba como maestra en una comunidad agrícola de Stockton, Huerta con frecuencia veía a sus estudiantes llegar a clase con hambre. Esta experiencia la motivó a convertirse en organizadora comunitaria. Huerta después fundó la Asociación de Trabajadores Agrícolas, donde organizó campañas de inscripción de votantes e impulsó mejoras en las comunidades.

En 1962, Huerta cofundó la Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores Agrícolas, que organizó a campesinos para exigir mejores condiciones laborales. Esta organización fue precursora de la Unión de Campesinos, la cual posteriormente establecieron en colaboración con Larry Itliong, Phillip Vera Cruz y otros líderes y activistas laborales. Huerta fue una hábil estratega política y negociadora, y desempeñó un papel fundamental en el éxito del movimiento, incluyendo un boicot internacional de la uva que condujo a los primeros contratos sindicales de trabajadores del campo y a la histórica Ley de Relaciones Laborales Agrícolas de California. A lo largo de los años, Huerta ha demostrado la valentía de anteponer los principios del movimiento que cofundó y la fortaleza de la comunidad que lo respalda.

Líder de tantos ámbitos y para tantas personas, Huerta enfrentó desafíos una y otra vez. A pesar de la brutalidad policial, la violencia, el sexismo y el racismo, Huerta ha sido incansable en su búsqueda de la justicia a lo largo de toda su vida, demostrando una resiliencia extraordinaria. Su determinación y capacidad le han valido numerosos reconocimientos. En 1993, Huerta se convirtió en la primera latina en ser incorporada al Salón Nacional de la Fama de la Mujer. Recibió el Premio de Derechos Humanos Eleanor Roosevelt en 1998 y la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad en 2012, y fue incorporada al Salón de la Fama de California en 2013 en reconocimiento de la gratitud del estado de California.

A través de la Fundación Dolores Huerta, continúa su incansable labor en defensa de las comunidades marginadas y en la formación de la próxima generación de organizadores, con el fin de empoderar a otras personas e impulsar el cambio social. Al celebrar las contribuciones de Dolores Huerta a los movimientos laborales, de derechos civiles y de las mujeres, exhortó a todas las personas en California a inspirarse en su ejemplo y a trabajar para generar un impacto positivo en sus comunidades.

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POR LO TANTO, YO GAVIN NEWSOM, Gobernador del Estado de California, por la presente proclamo el 10 de abril de 2026 como el "Dia de Dolores Huerta."

EN TESTIMONIO DE LO CUAL, firmo la presente y ordenó que se fije el Gran Sello del Estado de California este 7 de abril de 2026.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Gobernador de California

CERTIFICO:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretaria de Estado

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