When Dolores Fernandez was young, her mother Alicia wanted her to learn to be independent, as well as socially, and politically conscious about the world around her. Alicia divorced Dolores father, Juan Fernandez, while very young, and raised Dolores and her two brothers in Stockton, CA. Juan Fernandez, known for his efforts in raising awareness for migrant workers, had a seat on the New Mexico legislature.
Alicia, a business owner who ran a hotel that boasted reasonable prices for those who were less fortunate, always opened those hotel doors to people of any race. Although very busy, Dolores’ mother still found time to teach her and her siblings about their civic responsibilities to themselves as well as to others.
At the age of eight, Dolores joined the Girl Scouts, where she and troop became involved in various activities, specifically helping to raise money for the USO during World War II. This Southern Californian group of girls was a melting pot because their troop included many different nationalities, such as-Chinese, Filipino, Latino, Anglo, and African-American. Because of the diversity of the group, Dolores learned about different cultures, and she continued with the Girl Scouts until she reached age 18.
Working on the many Girl Scout projects, Dolores began to realize how mistreated some people were because of their race or background. As she moved forward with her life, she wanted to do something to help. Although her days of dreaming up of ideas about how to make the world a better place with her Girl Scout troop seemed like a long time ago, Dolores remembered her girl scout experiences, and plunged into the role of activist.
In a statement made in March 2006, Dolores Huerta summed up how being a Girl Scout shaped her future endeavors to become a fighter for human rights.
“Being a Girl Scout from the age of eight to eighteen taught me many things. It helped me build my self-confidence, and taught me not be shy about speaking in public. I learned to be proud of things I did in earning Girl Scout badges. The Girl Scouts taught me about moral values. I had a wonderful Girl Scout leader, Miss Kathryn Kemp, who taught us how to work as a team. Our troop included girls from various ethnic groups. As Girl Scouts, many of us received opportunities that we would not have otherwise, like camping. Being together, we learned about each other’s cultures. These were good lessons as a life experience. We would have never learned about diversity otherwise.”
Dolores continues to preserve the Girl Scout oath “to help people at all times,” and she is the president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and most notably, the co-founder of United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO (UFW).
Dolores began her rise to activism under the wing of Cesar Chavez. who was the head of Community Service Organization, and together, these two powerful speakers took on unions, and other groups that wielded their power over the farm workers. Dolores organized the best boycott in organized union history, called the Grape Boycott. It caught both local and national attention that Dolores was became a representative for the United Farm Workers at meetings and rallies.
During Robert Kennedy’s election campaign, Kennedy made mention of Dolores’ support for his presidency just before he was killed in Los Angeles.
During the presidential campaign of George W. Bush; Dolores, attacked during a protest rally was left immobilized for a few months. Once she was able to work again, Dolores focused her efforts on women’s rights. She traveled throughout the country promoting “the Feminist Majority’s Feminization of Power: 50/50.”
To continue her message of “educating the public on public policy regarding issues affecting immigrants, women, and youth,” she continues to focus on building a program called “Communities in Action” and to support immigration reforms.
“We’ve got to get good people elected. We have to take responsibility, and we have to take action. And this is how we can get the kind of government we want,” said Dolores Huerta in an interview with Democracy Now!
Sources:
www.doloreshuerta.org
http://www.girlscoutshcc.org/gshccadmin/site1/girlscouts/girlscouts/juni...
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/11/legendary_activist_dolores_huerta_...
Comments
Dolores is a very
Dolores is a very inspirational woman who seems to have accomplished significant goals that many could only have hoped to achieve. I believe that this passion started early within her because of her mother and how she taught her to have a sense of independence as well as the experience that she had with diversity within her troop. We need more Dolores’ in the world who will fight for what is right.
It’s crazy to think that starting at age eighteen with a dream can lead to having such an impact. As a young girl, I was never involved in Girl Scouts, however after reading this I believe that it would be very beneficial for any young girl to pursue.
Dolores Huerta
This article caught my attention because I was a Girl Scout in grade school. I remember my troop was very diverse and our leader was very passionate about helping the less fortunate. We were always engaged in fundraisers, community service, volunteering and giving. My leader had the same passion as Dolores Huerta which I am glad that at a young age I learned to help my community. Dolores Huerta is an inspiring women and I admire her for helping migrant farm workers. My grandfather is a farm worker in the fields and he has told me the difficult times migrant farm workers face on a everyday basis. Discrimination, oppression, hunger, and low pay. Many of these hard workers don't speak English therefore, many times they don't have a voice to defend their rights. I admire Dolores because she is a voice for many of these workers.