Mt. San Jacinto College marked the death of civil rights leader Dolores Huerta with a public tribute linking her life's work to the college's mission of serving Latino students.
Dr. Tawny Dotson, MSJC's superintendent/president, released a statement Wednesday, Oct. 28, calling Huerta "a pioneering civil rights leader, educator, and advocate whose lifelong commitment to justice, dignity, and opportunity transformed countless lives."
Huerta, who co-founded the organization that became the United Farm Workers, died Oct. 28 at her home in Bakersfield, as first reported by The Desert Sun. She was 96. Family spokesperson Erik Olvera told NBC Los Angeles the cause was cancer.
A local connection
MSJC, which serves about 30,000 students across 1,700 square miles of central and southwestern Riverside County, has held federal Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status since 2001. Approximately 48% of the college's students identified as Latinx as of spring 2024, according to the college's HSI page. The college's Temecula Valley Campus, which opened in 2021, provides classes and services for Murrieta and Temecula area residents.
Dotson's statement drew a direct line between Huerta's story and the college's work. "Her legacy holds special meaning" at MSJC, Dotson wrote, because the college "shares her belief in the power of education, inclusion, and empowerment to transform lives and strengthen communities."
Dotson noted that Huerta began her career as a teacher before turning to organizing. In the statement, she wrote that Huerta "witnessed firsthand the challenges children faced as their families struggled to meet their most basic needs" and "dedicated her life to breaking down barriers."
From classroom to movement
Born Dolores Clara Fernández on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta moved to Stockton, California, with her mother and brothers after her parents divorced, The Desert Sun reported. She earned a teaching certificate and briefly taught elementary school before shifting to community organizing.
In 1962, Huerta and Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, a predecessor of the United Farm Workers. She became closely identified with the rallying cry "Sí se puede" ("Yes, we can"). President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.
In 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation designating April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day in California.
Washington Monthly recognized MSJC in August 2025 as one of the nation's top two-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions, placing it among only 10 California community colleges to earn that distinction.
Huerta is survived by 13 of her 14 children, 24 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren, according to The Desert Sun.
