[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 163 (Saturday, December 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENT IN HONOR OF DOLORES HUERTA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2005

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 
California Democratic Congressional Delegation, I am proud to pay 
tribute to a woman who has greatly influenced the course of workers 
rights over the past 50 years, Ms. Dolores Huerta. On the occasion of 
her 75th birthday it is only fitting that we pause to honor Ms. 
Huerta's lifetime of courage and achievement.
  Ms. Huerta was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico and was 
raised in Stockton, California amid the farm workers of the central San 
Joaquin Valley. Ms. Huerta's mother, Alicia Chavez, and her father, 
Juan Fernandez, instilled in her, through their own works, a drive to 
help and care for others. In her own life, Ms. Huerta has been an 
incalculable asset to the movement for the advancement of worker's 
rights and in particular, the rights of farm workers and their 
families.
  Ms. Huerta began advocacy for workers and their families in 1955 when 
she created the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, 
CSO, after encountering farm workers' hungry children while teaching in 
a public school. Early in her endeavors, Ms. Huerta successfully 
lobbied, in Sacramento, for the removal of citizenship requirements 
from pension and public assistance programs. She also helped pass 
legislation that allowed people to take their drivers license 
examinations in their native language and established the right to vote 
in Spanish.
  Through her work with the CSO, Ms. Huerta met Caesar Chavez and 
together, in 1962, they founded the United Farm Workers of America, 
UFW. Ms. Huerta became the organization's First Vice President 
Emeritus. The UFW is perhaps best known for its role in the Delano 
Grape Strike beginning in 1965. The strike ended after 5 years of hard 
work and careful negotiations, which were led by Ms. Huerta, with the 
establishment of a 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the 
grape industry.
  Among Ms. Huerta's many achievements are several outstanding awards. 
She was bestowed with the California State Senate's Outstanding Labor 
Leader Award in 1984 and her impact on the national workers rights 
movement was highlighted in 1993 when Ms. Huerta was inducted into the 
National Women's Hall of Fame and received the Ellis Island Medal of 
Freedom Award, as well as several other awards. Although Ms. Huerta's 
efforts concentrated intensely on California, her impact on workers 
rights nationwide has been remarkable and merits our honor and 
admiration.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues--Reps. Becerra, Berman, Capps, Costa, 
Farr, Honda, Lantos, Matsui, Napolitano, Pelosi, Roybal-Allard, Linda 
Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Solis, Thompson, Waxman and 
Woolsey--join me in thanking Ms. Huerta for her tireless adherence to 
the improvement of workers rights across the United States. We are 
humbled to honor such a wonderful person who, for years, has been a 
great friend and inspiration to us all.

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