Labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta speaks to audience of around 200 at Chapman

Labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, who cofounded the United Farm Workers union in 1962 with Cesar Chavez, spoke at Chapman Oct. 22 to an audience of around 200. Photos by Bonnie Cash

Dolores Huerta, who founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez in 1962, spoke in Chapman’s Memorial Hall Oct. 22 to an audience of around 200 people about using education to end racism, misogyny, homophobia and bigotry.

During the event’s Q&A session, one student voiced her concerns on the lack of presence from Chapman’s blue-collar workers at the event.

“I think it’s kind of ironic that your life’s work has been around worker’s rights and justice, and I think it’s particularly interesting that Chapman doesn’t allow its staff and faculty to unionize,” the student said to Huerta. “I also want to point out that the very people who clean our bathrooms, our classrooms, and keep this campus clean weren’t invited, or aren’t here tonight.”

University President Daniele Struppa wrote in an email to The Panther after the event that Chapman does not prohibit its professors from unionizing and also said that the university invited indivduals from both “inside and outside” the community.

“I believe the student who asked the question probably misunderstood the situation,” he wrote. “Chapman honors and respects the right to collectively bargain, as guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act.”
The student then asked Huerta how to “keep going” and “fight” when feeling powerless. Huerta’s response? Vote in the midterm elections.

“A lot of us here don’t have money. I know we’re not rich. But we have the most precious thing, which is our time,” Huerta said. “And if we put some of our time into justice, volunteer at a campaign and volunteer for one of these elections, we can make a difference. As citizens of this country, we have a huge responsibility to make democracy work.”

At the beginning of the event, Huerta was welcomed onstage by Carmichael Peters, director of Chapman’s Honors Program, and Orange City Council candidate and Chapman doctoral student Betty Valencia.

Orange City Council candidate Betty Valencia, who is a Chapman doctoral student, welcomed Huerta to the stage.

Huerta spoke with Struppa about her work as a labor rights and social justice activist, answering Struppa’s questions about her life’s work, her take on the importance of education and what it means to be courageous.

Huerta talked about how the U.S. was originally a land of “brown” indigenous people until European settlers arrived.

“We are not taught in our classrooms that the African slaves are the ones that built the White House and Congress,” Huerta said. “The Native Americans were the first slaves. And (then) the immigrants from Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, China and India. These immigrants were brought to this country to build the infrastructure of America. We need to teach that to children, so that they can understand how this country was built.”

Huerta, who played a crucial role in fighting for better workplace conditions and rights for farm workers, also pushed for the improvement of low-income, minority communities, equality in the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as education and reform – all of which the Dolores Huerta Foundation advocates.

She has received multiple awards for her work over the past 56 years, like the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012 and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from Bill Clinton in 1998. She was also the subject of a documentary.

Huerta was brought to Chapman by a team of several faculty members, including Margaret Grogan, dean of the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies, who said she considers Huerta a role model.

University President Daniele Struppa, who called Huerta a “key figure” of the civil rights movement, spoke with her about her life work.

“It’s really amazing (Huerta is) with us still, from a period of time where I think most people understand (only) through the history books,” Grogan told The Panther. “It’s really important that our students get the opportunity to hear firsthand some of the heros and heroines speak. Maybe to inspire the next generation.”

Because October is National Hispanic Heritage Month, it was a “great opportunity” to hear from Huerta, Struppa told The Panther.

“Dolores Huerta is almost a mythical name, in a way,” he said. “She’s a key figure of the civil rights battle in this country.”

Bobby Houston, a freshman theater studies major, attended the event as part of his First-Year Foundations class.

“Hearing about injustice, both social and political, should fuel the flame inside all of us to be more involved in government and community,” Houston said. “To me, Dolores Huerta symbolizes a sense of hope for how courageous proactivity and passion can change a society, against all odds.”