In 1962, the tension of the civil rights movement was near its peak as segregation and violence against African-Americans at the hands of police and civilians was high across the American South.
The oppression of bodies of color in America had also been manifesting itself in a different way that year in the fields of California, where Chicano and Latino farmworkers toiled for as little as 70 cents an hour on their own ancestral land. Farmworkers had no toilets, no cold water and no rest periods, but worst of all, they had no voice.
Dolores Huerta is the Latina activist who rose to give farmworkers a voice, and who is the subject of the documentary film “Dolores,” which will be shown at Witherspoon Student Cinema Monday at 6 p.m. She did this all in a time when brown women like her were often silenced, and she made breakthroughs for women everywhere by standing up to the injustices of exploitation and police brutality against farmworker men and women.
In a time where our diverse campus is invested more than ever in the causes of racial and gender justice, it is important for our student body to avoid overlooking the lives of farmworkers. Watching “Dolores” is an excellent way to get started on this.
At 87 years old, Huerta is alive and kicking and still speaking with the same rhetoric she used nearly 60 years ago as she yelled through a megaphone, standing in solidarity with masses of striking farmworkers under a radiant California sun with no intent of giving in. This past September, Huerta spoke with NPR on its show “Latino USA,” looking back on her legacy, and living up to her history today.
“I really want to encourage all the mothers, and the grandmothers and the tías: bring your nephews and nieces, bring your children, bring them to those marches, bring them to those demonstrations,” Huerta said. “Because when they are in a big group of people and they see that they’re marching for justice, that gives them that courage, that knowledge that they have power.”
The Latinx community at NC State is no stranger to a cry that is still heard today at demonstrations in Raleigh and beyond — the chant of “Si se puede!” (meaning “Yes we can!”), which was coined by Huerta herself in her activism.
Huerta stood alongside the acclaimed civil rights activist Cesar Chavez (whom we often hear about more than Huerta), as they formed the United Farm Workers of America union, the now-historic labor union. Together, they were the face of the early farmworker movement, driving successful boycotts against exploitative farms and growers, with Huerta acting as the spokesperson of the UFW as a remarkable organizer and lobbyist.
The beginnings of the feminist movement were flourishing in the 1970s when Huerta united with known feminist activist Gloria Steinem in the ongoing process to achieve intersectional feminism that could push for the inclusion of black and brown women, too.
This Women’s History Month, “Dolores” presents to students the history of the woman leader of the call for justice for farmworkers. As a feminist, Huerta championed a focus of the farmworker women on the fields, who were often overlooked and ignored in a primarily male environment, and this is highlighted in her documentary.
Farmworker women have historically been the main target of sexual violence, with one study from California State University in Long Beach revealing that 90 percent of farmworker women state sexual harassment is a problem. They also suffer the worst of pesticide poisoning, which Huerta herself confirms in her NPR interview and is backed up by reports shared by Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, an organization for farmworker women.
“The screening of ‘Dolores’ is a great opportunity for students to become aware of a fierce activist who is not very well known in American history,” said Maria Tudela, a graduate student in liberal studies and a graduate assistant at the Women’s Center. “The film showing and the following discussion will provide a space for participants to engage in critical discussion focusing on the farmworkers union and the intersections of activism, gender, race, labor and justice.”
Embracing our slogan of “think and do,” students can move from learning about feminism and farmworker justice to putting them into practice, carrying out Huerta’s message of activism through their voices, hands and feet. Organizations like FLOC (Farmworker Labor Organizing Committee), NC Farmworkers’ Project and Student Action with Farmworkers are ways to get involved with this cause. Migrant farmworkers, many of whom are the age of most undergraduates, will be thankful for it.
Students can go watch the documentary and witness Huerta’s life for themselves at the screening on campus, which will be followed by a discussion from students and alumni who have worked the fields and will share that experience. The screening is free, but registration is required at unctv.org/dolores.
