The New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus is among those mourning the passing of labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who died Wednesday at the age of 96.
According to the caucus, Huerta was a founding member of the United Farm Workers union and spent more than seven decades fighting for better wages, safer working conditions, and the right of farmworkers to organize.
Huerta kept up that fight until her final days, marching and speaking across the country on behalf of working families, immigrants and women, the caucus said.
The iconic activist also had several links to New Jersey, lawmakers pointed out:
"Huerta's work reached New Jersey directly: during the farmworker grape boycott, she directed boycott efforts in New York and New Jersey, building coalitions with churches, labor unions, students, and community groups."
Many people know Huerta from coining the phrase "Sí, se puede" in 1972 while organizing farmworkers in Arizona against a law banning strikes and boycotts. The slogan has since become a rallying cry for movements around the world.
Huerta's lifetime of service earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012, and she was the first Latina inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Huerta also activists continued training new generations of community organizers through the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
"Dolores Huerta was not only an icon of the Latino community, but a giant in the ongoing fight for justice, equality, and humanity everywhere," the New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus said.
"A fearless pioneer, she gave a voice to the struggles of people pushed to the margins and never backed down from a fight," the caucus continued. "Her advocacy knew no bounds—from organizing farmworkers and championing women's rights to advancing civil rights and fighting for immigrant communities, Dolores embodied the very spirit of serving others for a greater good."
Signatories to the caucus' letter included:
M. Teresa Ruiz, Chair, Senate Majority Leader, Senator, 29th District
Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez, Vice Chair, Chair, Senate Economic Growth, Senator, 5th District
Alixon Collazos- Gill, Secretary, Assemblywoman, 27th District
Yvonne Lopez, Treasurer, Deputy Speaker, Assemblywoman, 19th District
Rosy Bagolie, Assemblywoman, 27th District
Carmen Theresa Morales, Deputy Majority Whip, Assemblywoman, 34th District
Eliana Pintor Marin, Assembly Budget Chair, Assemblywoman, 29th District
Annette Quijano, Speaker Pro Tempore, Assemblywoman, 20th District
Ed Rodriguez, Assemblyman, 20th District
Gabriel Rodriguez, Assemblyman, 33rd District
Larry Wainstein, Assemblyman, 33rd District
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