Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta Honored With Coachella Mural

COACHELLA, CA —The city of Coachella on Wednesday morning unveiled a mural celebrating longtime labor activist and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta.

The mural was created by David Damian Figueroa and is at the corner of Vine Avenue and Sixth Street in downtown Coachella.

The 91-year-old Huerta, who spoke at the ceremony, was the co-founder —along with Cesar Chavez —of the United Farm Workers Association (NWFA), which was the predecessor of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW)

"There are so many people who could be in that mural instead of me because there are so many people who worked in the movement. The fact that I am chosen, I feel very, very humbled," Huerta said at Wednesday's ceremony.

Women's History.org called Huerta one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement.

In her work for the UFW, Huerta organized workers, negotiated contracts and advocated for safer working conditions, including the elimination of harmful pesticides. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers, according to Women's History.org

Huerta was the driving force behind the nationwide table grape boycotts in the late 1960s that led to a successful union contract by 1970.

At Wednesday's ceremony, Huerta recalled being part of farmworkers' protests right in Coachella.

"I remember in that park right behind us when we were running away from the police, they were chasing us with tear gas," Huerta said. "We were having a rally, nobody was doing anything wrong, and all of a sudden they came at us with batons, hitting people, and we're all running for our lives."

Huerta said it is nice that she is smiling in the mural, but that the days of strikes and boycotts were "a time of anxiety, a time of suffering" rather than smiles.

Figueroa, speaking at the ceremony, called his mural "one of hope."

Huerta agreed, and she spoke about how times have changed in Coachella, especially politically.

"I just want to congratulate all the leadership of Coachella because in those (old) times, the political power was completely and totally against us," Huerta said. "What you have done politically is to transform this area by giving the political power to the people that deserve it, to our Latino community. This is amazing!"

Yet, Huerta said it's important that Coachella does not forget its past and its role in the fight for farmworkers' rights.

"Now, we know that Coachella is famous all over the United States and the world because of Coachella Festival," Huerta said. "But we should not let people forget, and the true reason Coachella needs to be remembered is for the sacrifices that people made to bring justice to the farmworkers that feed the nation. That is what (Coachella) needs to be known for, and I'm just blessed that I was a part of it."

Joining Huerta and Figueroa at the ceremony were Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, members of the Coachella City Council and other local dignitaries.