In the opening pages of Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers, Dolores is a teacher. Concerned that her Spanish-speaking students arrive at school hungry, tired and even without shoes, she connects with their families. The hard-working parents tell her that bosses don’t pay them enough money for the many hours of the day they pick grapes, making it hard to provide enough food, clothes and medical care for their families.
That ignites Dolores’s drive to learn more from the migrant farm workers about their conditions. She then confronts their bosses. The bosses make excuses that aren’t good enough for Dolores and she organizes strikes. "Sí, se puede"—"Yes, we can,” she maintains.
But still she must tell these stories—to the press, to other workers, to important elected people. It takes a long time, but eventually strikes, marches and boycotts spread far. She partners with César Chávez to start the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962, gains improved conditions for California farm workers through contracts, and welcomes the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) in 1973.
Author Sarah Warren describes, in clear prose, Dolores’s strengths as a teacher, an organizer, a mother, and a relentless advocate for fair wages and safe conditions for workers. Robert Casilla’s realistic paintings beautifully convey the humanity and the determination of Huerta, resulting in a memorable introduction to a remarkable woman.
All through her life, Dolores encouraged Latinas to be non-violent leaders in their communities and beyond. A timeline includes the ways in which her contributions were honored: induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and recipient of the U. S. Presidential Eleanor D. Roosevelt Human Rights Award, among others. Dolores’s legacy continues through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, educating for social justice and non-violent grassroots organizing.
Ages 6-9. Two Lions, 2012.
Two additional books about Dolores Huerta, by Monica Brown:
She Persisted: Dolores Huerta, part of the series of biographical books with Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger. Philomel Books, 2024.
Side by Side - Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez / La Historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez (Bilingual English-Spanish). HarperCollins, 2020.