Editor’s Note: Dr. Stephanie Alvarez, professor of Mexican American Studies at UTRGV, made remarks during LUPE’s Mass for Dolores Huerta on October 30. This is what she had to say.
Dolores Huerta, ¡Presente!
Like most of you, learning of Dolores Huerta’s passing was heartbreaking. For so many women, especially Chicanas & Latinas, she was our living breathing inspiration. I immediately thought, I really hope that the matters surrounding the sexual assault suffered by her and others by Chávez, and her having to confront this painful and traumatic history in public, didn’t contribute to her passing. After some reflection, I thought, no, she waited… the universe waited for this exact moment in time for Dolores to pass on to the other side. Her death is a reminder to us that it is precisely the moment to continue the fight! You see, Dolores has been fighting the good fight for almost a century. We all know Dolores, or The Tiger Lady as the growers called her, for her foundational role in organizing farmworkers- both Mexican and Filipino- and founding the United Farmworkers to better the working conditions of farmworkers. She fought for farmworkers her entire life because as long as we want fruits and vegetables, there will be farmworkers. This fight continues today.
Mis suegros, que tienen setenta y pico años de edad, trabajan en el campo del Valle y Michigan hasta hoy en día en la cebolla, el blueberry y mucho más. My suegro always tells the story of how he still gets paid the same, but el galón de leche no cuesta lo mismo. Today, we also remember how committed she was to get out the vote and backing progressive candidates who believed in social justice, who would fight for Chicanx and Latinx communities, and fight for las mujeres. Interestingly, I may not even be alive today if it wasn’t for Dolores Huerta. You see, my father met my mother while volunteering with the UFW in Miami, Florida, as part of the grapes boycott campaign, which included registering people to vote. He met my mom as he helped her register to vote in 1969, and here I am today.
Dolores famously told us that “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.” However, she also told us that “If people don’t vote, everything stays the same. You can protest until the sky turns yellow, or the moon turns blue, and it’s not going to change anything if you don’t vote.” So, I like to believe she left the earth at this moment to shine a light on the need to vote! Dolores wouldn’t want us crying or mourning, she’d want us voting! So, go out to vote. Get your family to vote, your neighbor to vote, your friends to vote, and even the stranger to vote. When it came to voting, Dolores Huerta was never neutral. After all, as a person of faith, she believed deeply in advocating and promoting policies that were not harmful to our communities but rather uplifted our communities. She would want you to vote for those that uplift our communities.
You see, there is nothing radical about standing up for farmworkers, there is nothing radical in believing that Latinos should not be persecuted and murdered by ICE, there is nothing radical in wanting to ensure the civil rights of all the people, and there is nothing radical about wanting to ensure equity and equality for women, queer, and trans folk. None of this is radical. What is radical is raising your voice to fight for these communities, organizing for our communities, and voting for our communities and for candidates that will fight for us. What a privilege it is to have lived to witness the greatness of Dolores Huerta, and now we must vote to ensure our children and all future generations learn about Dolores’ legacy, especially in a time when the current administration is stripping Mexican American Studies and Ethnic Studies from our educational spaces.
She reminded us that Coretta Scott King said, “We will never have peace in the world until women take power,” but added that, for her, it is not women, but feminists, to take power, and anyone can be a feminist. Men, non-binary and trans folx, even Father Jorge, can be feminists. Women can certainly also not be feminists and uphold the patriarchy. So it is on all of us to not just organize and vote, but also be feminists. There is no better way than to honor the legacy of Dolores, vote, and never give up the fight.
Dolores Huerta, ¡Presente!
