Courage and Corazón: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dolores Huerta
Courage and Corazón: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dolores Huerta
A movement leader. A cherished friend. A force of nature.A woman whose courage and corazón changed the course of history.
An Open Letter from Jessie Ryan, President of the Campaign for College Opportunity
We mourn the passing of Dolores Huerta, a trailblazing civil rights leader, fierce champion of working families, and unwavering believer in the power of education to transform lives.
For more than two decades, my family and the Campaign for College Opportunity have had the extraordinary privilege of calling Dolores a friend, an ally, and a partner in the pursuit of racial equity and economic justice. Her passing is a profound loss, but her extraordinary life leaves us with a powerful reminder of what it means to lead with courage, corazón, and an unshakable commitment to lifting others.
From the fields of California’s Central Valley to the halls of power, Dolores never forgot her roots or the people for whom she fought. As a former educator, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, founder of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and former member of the University of California Board of Regents, she understood that education, civil rights, and economic opportunity were inseparable. She believed that every student, regardless of race, income, or ZIP code, deserved an affordable pathway to a college degree and a better life.
Dolores didn’t simply challenge injustice. She inspired generations of us to find the courage to do something about it.
That conviction made her an invaluable champion of the Campaign’s mission and a treasured part of our history. Her daughter, Camila Chávez, brought the voice of the Central Valley to our Board of Directors (2013-2020). We honored Dolores’ fierce leadership at the Campaign’s quinceañera celebration alongside then-Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
Over the years, she joined us for community listening sessions throughout the Central Valley—elevating the voices of students and families too often excluded from decisions shaping their futures.
And at our 20th anniversary celebration, Dolores danced with us! As she often reminded us, dancing was an act of resistance.
For Dolores, joy and justice were never mutually exclusive. Both were essential to sustaining a movement.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of joining her at the State Capitol. At 96, she showed no signs of slowing down. There were still injustices to confront, young people to inspire, and battles worth fighting.
Yet for all her historic accomplishments, what I will cherish most is how Dolores showed up for people.
I will never forget her choosing to spend her 89th birthday with me at Washington Elementary School, doing what she loved most—inspiring young people to recognize their power and potential. Her words that day were a clarion call to our shared humanity:
Simple words, yet profound wisdom from a woman who never shied away from speaking society’s hardest truths.
Dolores lived those words. As she did for countless others, she showed up for me with extraordinary generosity, courage, and conviction. When I ran for public office, she lent her voice to my campaign, even recording a Spanish-language message encouraging families to vote. When I faced one of the greatest leadership challenges of my career, she stood beside me. Not because it was easy or convenient, but because she believed in supporting women, standing with marginalized communities, and doing what was right even at great personal sacrifice.
That was Dolores. Fierce in her convictions. Generous with her love. Unshakable in her solidarity. Courage and corazón.
Despite her extraordinary stature, Dolores had the rare ability to make everyone feel seen. Whether speaking with a governor, a farmworker, a college student, or a child in an elementary school classroom, she made you believe your voice mattered and that you, too, could change the world.
She taught us that leadership is not measured simply by the barriers we break or the titles we hold, but by the people we uplift along the way. That as we climb, we have a responsibility to reach back, extend a hand, and bring others with us.
At a time when hard-won progress faces renewed threats, her example is both a source of strength and a call to action. Dolores understood that justice is not inevitable. It requires courage to confront inequity, corazón to remain connected to our shared humanity, and the determination to keep fighting for the next generation.
At the Campaign for College Opportunity, we honor Dolores by recommitting to that fight—building a California where every student has a clear, affordable pathway to college, economic mobility, and a better life.
To her beloved family, whose friendship has meant so much, I extend my deepest love and condolences. Thank you for sharing this extraordinary woman with the world and with us.
The greatest tribute we can offer Dolores is not simply to remember what she accomplished, but to continue what she started. May we honor her by leading with courage, loving with corazón, and never forgetting that as we rise, we must lift others with us.
¡Sí, se puede!
Descansa en poder, querida Dolores. Rest in power.
With profound love and gratitude,
Jessie Ryan and all of us at The Campaign for College Opportunity