Labor rights leader Dolores Huerta dies at 96

Labor icon Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers, has died at 96, her family said.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96," her family said in a statement on her official Instagram account. "As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family. We know that many of you around the world share in our mourning, and we will be following up on plans to recognize and celebrate her incredible life and legacy."

Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with fellow activists Cesar Chavez and Gilbert Padilla, which would eventually become the United Farm Workers. Their work led to the first farmworker union contracts in U.S. history. In 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her decades of advocacy in civil rights and women’s equality.

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