BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Nearly 15 years ago, Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez says she was walking door to door with Dolores Huerta in Lamont. It was a scorching summer day, with temperatures above 100 degrees.
The heat eventually forced Perez to take a break. But Huerta, decades older, kept going.
"She insisted that I stay, rest, and get better, but she was back out into the streets to talk to voters and it was really a remarkable moment for me to see her, the real strength that she possessed," Perez said.
Perez says that moment left a lasting mark, teaching her the power of organizing, persistence, and never giving up on the people she represents.
She is one of three women who say Huerta inspired them to become the leaders they are today.
For Nataly Santamaria, a promotora who connects underserved families with critical resources and services, Huerta was proof that women could lead, organize and create change.
"She represented power, woman power. She represented the struggle, of course. She represented advocacy. She represented action. Possibilities as well," Santamaria said.
Santamaria says that influence is still alive today through the work of promotoras across the Central Valley, many of whom are farmworkers themselves.
But Fabiola Decaratachea, deputy director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, says behind the activist was also a woman filled with joy.
"She was also just a joyful person who loved music and loved jazz and loved dancing," Decaratachea said.
Decaratachea says Huerta's energy was contagious, inspiring people around her to get involved and take action.
Now, the foundation is working to make sure that spark doesn't fade. The new Dolores Huerta Peace and Justice Cultural Center in downtown Bakersfield will preserve the history of the Central Valley while building on Huerta's legacy of organizing and empowerment.
"For a lot of us, it will be a place where we not only honor and remember Dolores but where we also utilize the space to mobilize and continue to empower and continue to do the good work that she did throughout the region," Decaratachea said.
The Dolores Huerta Foundation hopes the new center will open by October 2027.
The foundation is inviting community members to visit doloreshuerta.org to share their memories and photos of Huerta, which could be included in a future celebration of her life.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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