Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union, has died at the age of 96. Her legacy in shaping the farm worker movement is complex, marked by groundbreaking achievements as well as controversial moments within the union’s history.

Huerta’s activism began in Stockton, California, where her close ties to the Filipino farm worker community provided a foundation for her efforts to unite Mexican and Filipino laborers. Influenced by her mother Alicia, who ran a local hotel and restaurant frequented by Filipino workers, Huerta developed an early understanding of the exploitation faced by farm laborers. This background informed her role in bridging cultural divides during the formative years of the UFW.

In 1960, Huerta joined the Community Service Organization, a group focused on Mexican American civil rights, upon the encouragement of Cesar Chavez. When Chavez broke away to create a new union dedicated to farm workers, Huerta was a key early member. She emerged as a visible leader during the 1965 grape strike, famously holding a “Huelga” sign, symbolizing the union’s call for a boycott.

Huerta’s strategic innovation brought significant success to the movement. She was instrumental in developing the boycott tactic, initially targeting dockworkers who unloaded grapes and later focusing on perishable grapes themselves. This approach helped weaken growers’ positions by making it harder to sell their products and garnered widespread consumer support. Notably, she directed volunteers to shift efforts from blocking shipments at docks to organizing storefront protests, adapting tactics swiftly in response to legal challenges.

By the early 1970s, these efforts resulted in the first labor contracts for farm workers in California. However, Huerta’s influence diminished as the union became more institutionalized under Chavez’s leadership, who assigned her roles that were essential yet often undervalued. As a contract negotiator, she gained a reputation for toughness in securing favorable terms for workers. Yet she also faced criticism for balancing her labor activism with motherhood, reflecting broader societal double standards.

Internal conflicts emerged as Chavez undertook divisive initiatives, including a controversial group therapy program known as “The Game.” Huerta was compelled to support these efforts and was involved in the removal of key volunteers and fellow founders such as Gilbert Padilla and Philip Vera Cruz. These actions highlighted tensions within the union and the sometimes harsh measures taken to maintain control.

In recent years, Huerta disclosed that she was a survivor of sexual assault by Chavez, revealing painful personal dimensions of the union’s leadership dynamic. Although this admission brought new understanding of her life and choices, some observers express regret that she did not publicly reconcile or address the broader consequences of the union’s internal purges.

Despite these complexities, Huerta’s contributions to labor rights and social justice remain significant. Her advocacy helped forge a movement that brought attention to farm workers’ struggles and produced meaningful reforms. As her story is revisited, her impact serves as a reminder of the challenges inherent in social movements and the costs borne by their leaders.