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When I was growing up in the Sacramento Valley, our family frequently took Sunday drives. We would load into the station wagon, which had one of those rear-facing seats—my favorite place to perch and watch the world in reverse. Invariably, a drive would include miles and miles of country roads, where the landscape was dotted with the magnificence of California agriculture.
I marveled at how my father could identify the name of every crop, of every fruit tree. My mother’s contribution was this: “Children, say a prayer for the farmworkers in the field; without them you would not have a meal.” My parents were both speaking from experience as children of farmworkers who themselves worked the fields from the time they could walk. Once I had my children, I shared with them the same belief passed down from their grandparents—that we owe so much to those who toil in the fields, and we should extend our gratitude daily to those who ensure we have food on the table.
Dolores Huerta was raised with an ethos similar to my own. From her biography, I have learned that Dolores Clara Fernandez was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, a mining town in the mountains of New Mexico. Her father Juan Fernández, a farm worker and miner by trade, was a union activist who ran for political office and won a seat in the New Mexico legislature in 1938. Her mother, Alicia Chavez was an independent businesswoman, who owned and ran a 70-room hotel. Dolores spent most of her childhood and early adult life in the Central Valley of Stockton, California where she and her two brothers moved with their mother, following their parents’ divorce.
Huerta has played a critical role in the American civil rights movement. Most notably, she co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Cesar Chavez, advocating for the rights of farmworkers. As one of the most famous and celebrated Latinas in the United States, Huerta has been an advocate for social justice, women’s rights, reproductive freedom, and LBGTQ civil rights. She continues working to develop community leaders to advocate for the working poor, immigrants, women, and youth through her work with the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
I am pleased and honored to announce that on Saturday, March 4, Dolores Huerta will keynote our CSUCI Conference for Social Justice in Education, which will return after a two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic. This fully hosted event held on our beautiful campus will begin with continental breakfast, then feature educators from throughout our region in break-out sessions, and conclude with luncheon and Huerta’s remarks. Mark your calendar, consider presenting, and come celebrate with us in 2023!
In fellowship and solidarity,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth C. Orozco Reilly
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