SACRAMENTO, Calif. — We all know the name Cesar Chavez. Back in the 1960s, underpaid farm workers in California fought to unionize. Chavez, a farm worker and labor activist, helped form the National Farm Workers Union and was later honored with national monuments and celebratory days commemorating his work.
But do you know who Dolores Huerta is?
Well, Dolores Huerta was a co-founder of National Farm Workers Union. The labor leader and civil rights activist is being honored by the California Museum in Sacramento, which is hosting a national touring photo exhibit of Dolores Huerta helping organize farm workers to get them a decent wage and humane treatment.
The 1960s was a time of change in America. For Huerta and Chavez, it was a long dusty struggle for respect. And if it’s a national photo exhibit about you, you've likely contributed much to the cause.
"I'm very proud [of the exhibit]," Huerta told ABC10. "At the same time, very humble that this is happening, but this is not my story — it's the story of the farm worker movement."
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But it’s also a story about Huerta growing up in Stockton.
From 1955 to now, she's still on the front line. Huerta was been named as one of the 100 most important women of the 20th century, along with Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks and Indira Ghandi.
"I think when we do this work, we're not trying to make history — we're not seeking recognition," Huerta explained. "We're just trying to bring some justice to the people that deserve it."
Seven states have a formal holiday honoring Cesar Chavez (four others observe the day, but have not made it a formal holiday), and although Huerta did as much as he did for the farm workers, she's not as well known — something she says she's fine with.
"People who knew Cesar realized that this man was a genius," Huerta said. "People like Cesar Chavez only come around once every thousand years, because he had an instinct for organizing."
The photo exhibit "Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos" is on display at Sacramento's California Museum at 10th and O streets through July 7.
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