Dolores Huerta, labor leader and activist

Dolores Huerta learned to speak her mind early in her life. "My grandfather used to call me seven tongues, because I always talked so much." By speaking her mind and standing up for what she believed, Huerta has become one of the most successful labor leaders in the United States.

From her mother, Dolores learned to feel a sense of responsibility for other people. In the 1950s, she began teaching in a farm workers' community. She explains why she left that job. "I couldn't stand seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes. I thought I could do more by organizing farm workers than by trying to teach their hungry children."

In 1955, Huerta founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, which worked to improve conditions for farm workers. Then, in 1962, Huerta and César Chávez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Huerta used nonviolence to fight the poor working conditions of farm workers. She believes that everyone has a responsibility to try to make America better. Huerta said, "I think we showed the world that nonviolence can work to make social change."