Equality California Mourns the Passing of Civil Rights Icon and LGBTQ+ Champion Dolores Huerta

LOS ANGELES - Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang on the passing of civil rights and labor leader Dolores Huerta, a longtime Equality California board member, at age 96:

"There are few people who have shaped the fight for justice and equality quite like Dolores Huerta. Today, Equality California mourns an extraordinary leader, a beloved member of our organization's family, and a fierce and unwavering champion for LGBTQ+ people.

I had the extraordinary privilege of knowing Dolores for more than 15 years, since I first started at Equality California. As a longtime member of our board, she was a mentor, a partner in this work, and someone I had the incredible honor of calling a friend. Her loss is deeply personal to me and to so many people whose lives she touched.

Dolores dedicated her life to organizing, empowering communities, and fighting for people whose voices too often went unheard. Her contributions to the civil rights and farmworker movements changed this country. But what I will always remember is that her commitment to justice knew no boundaries.

She understood that our struggles for dignity, freedom, and equality are deeply connected - and that none of us are truly free until all of us are free. She stood alongside LGBTQ+ people, fought with us, and reminded us of the power we have when we organize together. Our movement is stronger because of her, and our progress carries her imprint.

Our hearts are with Dolores's family, her loved ones, and the generations of activists and organizers she inspired. Her legacy lives in each of them, and in every person who finds the courage to stand up for their community.

As we mourn, we must also honor her life's work by carrying it forward: organizing, mobilizing our communities, and making our voices heard in next week's elections and beyond. Dolores never stopped fighting for a more just and equal world. Neither can we.

The fight for justice and equality continues, and so does our responsibility to carry it forward. Let's take back the House and Senate in her honor.

Sí se puede. Siempre. Rest in power, Dolores. Your legacy lives on in all of us."

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