Dolores Huerta, 92, has advocated for farmworkers for over fifty years and wants you to vote.

“The only way that we’re going to get the things that we need is by getting people to vote,” Huerta said, who worked with Cesar Chávez to establish the National Farmworkers Association in 1962. 

Huerta organized the 1965 Delano strike of over 5,000 farmworkers. She negotiated the subsequent contract, advocating for eliminating pesticides and implementing safe working conditions. She also advocates for unemployment and healthcare benefits for farmworkers.  

Huerta gave a keynote speech at WSU for National Farm Workers Awareness Week addressing racism and other issues like women’s rights and the LGTBQ+ community. She ended her address by having the audience say together, “Si se puede,” meaning  “Yes, we can.” 

The school-to-prison pipeline needs to be stopped, Huerta said. The Dolores Huerta Foundation sued the Kern High School District because 2,500 students had been expelled in one year, which disproportionately affected students of color. After that, the expulsions went down to fewer than 21.

Huerta said that the belief some people have, that children of color do not deserve a decent quality education is due to the legacy of slavery. During slavery, it was illegal for slaves to learn how to read and write.

While many are trying to get rid of racism, misogyny and homophobia, there are some people who are trying to stop this, which is leading to an awakening in the U.S., she said. A lot of our current issues stem from the legacy of colonization. 

“Google a map of the United States before 1848. Google it. And what do you find out? That 1/3 of the United States was Mexico,” Huerta said. “We hear a lot of talk about Russia, invading Ukraine and taking away their property. Well, that’s what happened to Mexico. In the Mexican-American War, the United States took fifty percent of Mexico.”

One of the reasons why America doesn’t have more socialized programs like free healthcare and free education is because so much wealth in America is held by the top ten percent, she said. The way to change the future is to vote. 

“A young student came up to me recently and said, ‘What else can we do besides voting?’ And I said, ‘There’s no other game in town. This is the only one.’ So when we go out there and we protest, and we march. We’re going to take that march to the ballot box,” she said. 

Joining a movement can make you feel intimidated — like you have butterflies in your stomach, but that is normal, Huerta said. Just like when you exercise and grow sore, being nervous means you are doing something right. Over time, the butterflies become smaller and you grow stronger and learn emotional fortitude. 

The only way to survive is to take care of each other, Huerta said. The pandemic taught us that we had to protect each other by wearing masks, getting vaccinated and being careful where we went. Even though one person cannot do everything, they can volunteer to solve part of the problem. 

Some states are trying to criminalize women and take away women’s reproductive rights, she said. Huerta has 11 children, but respects the decision of her daughters, who have chosen to just have one child or no children. Whether a woman decides to have or not have children is their business and no one else’s, she said. 

In a follow-up interview, Huerta said that in order to eat ethically, one should fight against pesticides. Pesticides do not have the right oversight and should be regulated under the United States Department of Health and Human Services, she said. 

Huerta said it was “wonderful” to come to WSU. Every time she comes to WSU, there is a strong farmworker influence with many first-generation students, and students have a lot of energy and hope. The WSU faculty is also open and welcoming. 

Antonio Fajardo, student at WSU, said that he had heard about Delores Huerta throughout his life but had never thought he would be able to see a speech live from her in person and that he left the speech very inspired by new ideas to support farmworkers. 

“Lots of times, farmworkers or people, the community is oftentimes unheard. I feel like because Delores is here, it will help shine a spotlight on how we can support the farmworker community,” Fajardo said. 

He said that while he has never been a farmworker, lots of his family have been farmworkers, and healthcare is something that undocumented people can have trouble with. 

“I appreciate her talking about the bill that was passed in California about providing free healthcare for undocumented farmworkers. Just undocumented people in general, I think that is something that we really need to put an emphasis on at WSU,” Fajardo said. 

There is a secret to making change, Huerta said, that no one is going to make change for you and everyone is responsible for it.

“When you become involved. When you join a movement. When you become an activist. Guess what? You make history,” she said.