Dolores Huerta Community
and Labor Institute

By Barbara Hanfling-Executive Director, FA, AFT 6157

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America AFL-CIO, was honored at a reception attended by over 75 people on Monday, Nov. 30, by San Jose City College, which renamed its labor studies program in her honor. Leading this reception were adjunct faculty member, Labor Studies Coordinator, Jimmy Kelly, Labor Studies Student Dee Dee Kost and president of the College Michael Burke emceed the event. Chuy (Jesus) Covarrubias a full time faculty member and friends added to the celebration by playing some lively music for all those in attendance.

The College renamed its labor studies program the Dolores Huerta Labor and Community Studies Institute as part of an effort to broaden its curriculum to include community organizing and social justice.

Also in attendance were Board of Trustee members: Ron Lind, Randy Okamura, Richard Hobbs, Mayra Cruz, Maria Fuentes and Richard Tanaka. We were also pleased to have Cindy Chavez, leader of the South Bay Labor Council and a resolution from Zoe Lofgren’s office commemorating the work of Dolores Huerta.

Huerta, 79, a longtime union and political activist as well as mother, lobbyist, educator, feminist and champion of immigrant rights, made history in 1966 when she negotiated the first collective bargaining agreement with an agricultural enterprise, a contract between the UFW and Schenley Wine Co. The contract was reached a year after she led the UFW’s national grape boycott.

We look forward to building our new Dolores Huerta Community and Labor Institute (Norte) into a program that Dolores Huerta and our community can be proud of.