Nevada leaders mourn Dolores Huerta, labor and civil rights icon

Nevada lawmakers and labor leaders are mourning organizer and civil rights advocate Dolores Huerta, who died Wednesday at age 96.

Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union and frequented Las Vegas for political events, has been championed by state Democratic officials and labor leaders for decades. As a child, Huerta lived briefly in Las Vegas with her mother after her parents divorced, according to the California State Archives.

Later in life, she marched in protests and spoke at events across the country about race, poverty, LGBTQ+ rights and women’s rights. Huerta was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2012.

“She helped pave the way for generations of organizers, and her courage will continue to inspire us to speak up, stand together, and never stop fighting for working people,” Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez said in a statement. The AFL-CIO is the largest collection of labor organizations in the state. “We honor her life by carrying that work forward.”

In March, a New York Times investigation revealed allegations Huerta was sexually abused in the 1960s by UFW co-founder César Chavez, a secret she said was kept for 60 years because she feared coming forward would compromise her life’s work and unravel the progress made for farm workers. Following the report, local officials moved to rename a portion of Pecos Road and an east Las Vegas Valley park once named after Chavez.

In 2025, officials opened the Dolores Huerta Resource Center in North Las Vegas, a bilingual community hub to help residents access docial services and programs with the help of federal funding. On Wednesday, an easel featuring Huerta’s photo was on display outside of the building, though employees said they were not authorized to speak with media.

Democrats in the Nevada Legislature also unsuccessfully sought to establish April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day last year.

Assembly Bill 98 passed largely along party lines in both the Nevada Assembly and state Senate, but was vetoed by Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said after the Times’ investigation exposing accusations Chavez sexually abused against Huerta and others he does not support bills that statutorily mandate proclamations.

Many who released statements after the news of Huerta’s death paid homage to a phrase she had coined, “Sí, se puede!” which translates to “Yes, it can be done.” Nevada U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who helped secure funding for the North Las Vegas resource center, said in social media posts she was saddened to learn about Huerta’s death.

“There are no words to fully capture Dolores’ life and legacy,” Cortez Masto said. “She was an incredible leader, a fighter for our Latino community and workers everywhere, and an icon whose courage inspired so many to follow in her footsteps. She certainly inspired me and took time out of her busy schedule to help me.

“I am grateful to have known her, and I will miss her dearly,” Cortez Masto continued.

Nevada’s other senator, Democrat Jacky Rosen, said Huerta “touched so many lives throughout her decades of service, fighting to advance the rights of immigrants, women and farm workers. Her ability to energize and engage a community advocating for a better future was unmatched. May she rest in peace and power.”

Nevada U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, whose district includes the Huerta center, said in a X post that Huerta was a “trailblazing civil rights leader whose unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and working families transformed our nation,” and that her legacy lives on in Nevada’s labor movement.

“As a co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Dolores dedicated her life to fighting for fair wages, safer working conditions and dignity for workers who too often went unheard,” Horsford said. “Her leadership helped empower generations of farmworkers, women, and working people to organize and demand justice.”

Nevada U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, who posted on X, added that Huerta was “a warrior for marginalized communities and fought to ensure safer working conditions for all.”

North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown said in a statement that she was grateful for “everything she gave us,” adding her legacy will carry on at the North Las Vegas facility.

“Dolores Huerta did not wait,” Goynes-Brown said. “She organized for change and proved that one determined voice can move a nation. Here in North Las Vegas, her name lives on at the Dolores Huerta Resource Center, where residents build new skills, find support and create better futures for their families. Everyone who walks into the center carries her belief in a fair chance for all. I am grateful for everything she gave us, and my heart goes out to her family.”

Assemblymember Cinthia Zermeño Moore, D-Las Vegas, who sponsored the legislation to name a day for Huerta, said in a statement released through the Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus that she met Huerta in 2007 and never imagined she would introduce legislation seeking to honor Huerta’s legacy.

“Although that legislation was vetoed, no veto can diminish her contributions to our country and the generations she inspired,” Zermeño Moore said. “As the first Mexican-born woman elected to the Nevada Legislature, I know I stand on the shoulders of trailblazers like Dolores. She taught us that our voices matter, that everyone deserves a seat at the table, and that we belong in spaces of power. Her lifelong fight for workers, civil rights, and justice will continue through all of us.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Casey Harrison at [email protected]. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.