It seems like everyone I know has a photo with Dolores Huerta.
asserted
I → seem → Huerta
My social media feed has been flooded with photos of her with my friends and acquaintances since her family announced her passing, at age 96, this week.
asserted
family → flood → age
We all have photos with her because Dolores was generous with her time, and she lived and worked long enough to inspire multiple generations of activists.
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she → have → activists
She was most well-known for co-founding the United Farmworkers Union, but in her later years she became so much more than a labor rights activist.
asserted
she → know → activist
Dolores embraced intersectional activism and believed in civil rights for all people, and she was a particularly strong ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
asserted
she → embrace → community
She and her family were always on the move to support a cause or a candidate, to champion justice and seek better conditions for working people.
asserted
She → support → people
In the decade that I knew her, it often appeared as if she was in a different city every day.
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she → know → city
There were a few weeks during the 2016 election season when I attended events throughout the country, from New York to Arizona to California, and she was at all of them.
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she → be → them
She said yes to every photo request even when she was swarmed by crowds after she spoke.
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she → say → crowds
I’ve been taking in all of the stories and photos I am seeing on Instagram, because whether people knew her well or not, she had an immense influence on all of us who call ourselves activists.
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who → take → ourselves
She made us believe that every one of us has the power to make change.
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one → make → change
Dolores had a particular way of connecting with everyone on a personal level.
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Dolores → have → level
When she found out that I serve on the board of the Center for Investigative Reporting, which publishes Mother Jones, she said, “You know, I visited Mother Jones’ grave site in Illinois.”
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I → find → Illinois
Then she told me, “Someone compared me to Mother Teresa, and I said, ‘No, I’m not like Mother Teresa.
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I → tell → Teresa
I’m more like Mother Jones
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I → ’m → Jones
Since that day, I’ve made sure that every new issue of the magazine was sent to her house.
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issue → make → house
Because she showed up for us, I wanted to show up for her, too.
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I → show → her
I have attended countless events to support her and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and in doing so, I witnessed her magic in action, from prepared speeches to candid moments.
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I → attend → moments
Behind the scenes, she was funny and joyous, and she shared her deep love for music with her family and friends.
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she → share → family
She loved attending concerts and going to clubs to dance into the wee hours of morning, even into her 90s.
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She → love → 90s
Last year I got to hold her hand walking through the state capitol as she was celebrated on the Assembly and Senate floors on her birthday, designated Dolores Huerta Day throughout California.
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she → get → California
It was a personal honor to help her daughters Juanita and Jess accompany her as she worked the rooms and checked in on legislation to help working people.
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she → help → people
She knew that she had become an icon, and she used that to get everyone to work on her causes.
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everyone → know → causes
A brilliant marketer, Dolores coined the chant, “Sí se puede”—Yes we can!—and
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we → coin → chant
she led it as a rallying cry at every event, fist in the air.
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she → lead → air
And she said repeatedly, “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”
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minute → say → world
Dolores spent the majority of the roughly 50 million minutes in her lifetime changing the lives of people throughout the country and the world.
asserted
Dolores → spend → country
The Aporia
