ITHACA, N.Y. -- Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, will deliver a talk, "Harvesting Change: Farm Workers' Rights 40 Years After the Founding of the UFW," Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m. in Anabel Taylor Hall auditorium. The event, hosted by the Farm Worker Advocacy Coalition at Cornell, is free and open to the public.

Huerta is the most prominent Chicana (Mexican-American woman) labor leader in the United States. She is co-founder and first vice president of the United Farm Workers union. For more than 30 years she has dedicated her life to the struggle for equal rights for migrant farm workers. Honored with countless community service, labor, Hispanic and women's awards, Huerta has been called a role model for Mexican-American women.

"Dolores Huerta is an American hero," said Raymond Craib, assistant professor of history at Cornell. "For the past half century, Huerta's tireless efforts, often at significant personal risk, have been critical to getting rid of toxic pesticides such as DDT; to seeing farm workers attain disability insurance and unemployment benefits; and to the passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act. It is a real privilege to welcome her to campus."

Born in New Mexico, Huerta was raised in California's agricultural San Joaquin Valley, where her mother owned a restaurant and a hotel where farm workers often were allowed to stay free of charge. Huerta received a teaching degree from the University of the Pacific's Delta Community College. After teaching elementary school for a short time, she began her career as a farm workers' advocate. In 1955 Huerta was a founding member of the Stockton, Calif., chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which opposed segregation and lobbied for better conditions for farm workers.

After founding the Agricultural Workers Association in 1960, Huerta became a lobbyist in the state capital of Sacramento. The following year, she fought for legislation making non-U.S. citizens eligible for pensions and public assistance. She also backed successful legislation that allowed people to vote and take drivers' examinations in Spanish. In 1962 Huerta and activist Cesar Chavez founded the organization that later became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). In 1973 the UFW began a nationwide consumer boycott of California grapes, lettuce and Gallo wines. The boycott resulted in the California table-grape growers signing a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the UFW. Another boycott resulted in passage of the U.S. Agricultural Labor Relations Act, giving farm workers the right to organize and bargain for better wages and working conditions. Huerta, who has 11 children, 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, has continued her political and social activism in support of rights for immigrants and women.

For more information Rebecca Bixby, rab46@cornell.edu , or call (607) 592-2690.

Related World Wide Web sites: The following sites provide additional information on this news release. Some might not be part of the Cornell University community, and Cornell has no control over their content or availability.

o Readings on Dolores Huerta: http://clnet.ucr.edu/women/Huerta/readings.html

o The Rural & Migrant Ministry: http://www.ruralmigrantministry.org/about.html

o United Farm Workers Union Home Page: http://www.ufw.org/