Bill Text: IL HR0740 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares April 10, 2026 as Dolores Huerta Day in the State of Illinois in recognition of Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta's lifelong commitment to justice and her enduring impact on generations of activists and working families. Commends Dolores Huerta for her extraordinary contributions to civil rights, labor rights, gender equity, and social justice. Recognizes her resilience in sharing her story and her commitment to uplifting the experiences of women whose narratives have too often been overlooked.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2026-05-29 - Resolution Adopted [HR0740 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HR0740-Introduced.html

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HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta, born in Dawson,
New Mexico on April 10, 1930, has dedicated her life to
advancing justice, dignity, and equal rights for working
people across the United States; and
WHEREAS, Inspired by the values of service and community
instilled by her family, Dolores Huerta began her advocacy in
California's Central Valley, where as a young teacher, she
witnessed firsthand the poverty, hunger, and exploitation
endured by the children of farmworkers; and
WHEREAS, Determined to address the systemic injustices
facing working families, Dolores Huerta became a leader in the
Community Service Organization in Stockton, co-founding its
chapter in 1955 and spearheading efforts to expand voting
access, secure neighborhood improvements, and build political
power for Latino communities; and
WHEREAS, Through this work, Dolores Huerta helped form the
Agricultural Workers Association and later co-founded the
National Farm Workers Association in 1962, which became the
United Farm Workers, a historic multiracial coalition of
Filipino, Mexican, and other immigrant laborers fighting for
basic rights and humane working conditions; and

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WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta played a central role in the 1965
Delano Grape Strike, standing alongside a number of Filipino
labor leaders, including Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz, Pete
Velasco, and Andy Imutan, and helping unite thousands of
farmworkers in a courageous struggle for justice; and
WHEREAS, As the chief negotiator for the farmworkers,
Dolores Huerta secured the first union contracts in American
agricultural history, improving wages, working conditions, and
protections for tens of thousands of workers; and
WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta was instrumental in leading the
nationwide grape boycotts of the late 1960s and early 1970s,
mobilizing millions of consumers across the country and
helping win passage of the California Agricultural Labor
Relations Act of 1975, the first law in the nation to guarantee
farmworkers the right to organize and bargain collectively;
and
WHEREAS, Throughout her career, Dolores Huerta has
championed safer working conditions, including the elimination
of harmful pesticides, and has been a powerful voice for
women's rights, gender equity, and the leadership of women
within social justice movements; and

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WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta coined the iconic phrase "Si Se
Puede", a rallying cry that has inspired generations of
organizers, workers, and civil rights advocates in the ongoing
struggle for justice; and
WHEREAS, Despite facing violence and intimidation,
including a near-fatal beating by police during a peaceful
protest in 1988, Dolores Huerta has remained steadfast in her
commitment to nonviolence and principled activism; and
WHEREAS, In recent months, Dolores Huerta has shown
profound resilience and courage in sharing her own experiences
of harm, doing so in order to uplift the stories of countless
women whose voices were overlooked or silenced; and
WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta's willingness to speak openly,
even after decades of service and sacrifice, reflects the same
integrity that has defined her leadership and continues to
strengthen the broader movement for justice; and
WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta has received numerous national
honors, including induction as the first Latina into the
National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993, the Eleanor Roosevelt
Human Rights Award in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2012, the highest civilian honor in the United
States; and

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WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta has continued her lifelong work
through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, founded in 2003, which
trains new generations of community organizers, advances civic
engagement, and advocates for the rights of working families,
women, immigrants, and youth; and
WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta's legacy is one of courage,
integrity, and unwavering dedication to the belief that every
person deserves dignity, respect, and a voice in shaping their
future; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we declare April 10, 2026 as Dolores Huerta Day in the State of
Illinois in recognition of Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta's
lifelong commitment to justice and her enduring impact on
generations of activists and working families; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That we commend Dolores Huerta for her
extraordinary contributions to civil rights, labor rights,
gender equity, and social justice; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we recognize her resilience in sharing her
story and her commitment to uplifting the experiences of women

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whose narratives have too often been overlooked; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
presented to Dolores Huerta and the Dolores Huerta Foundation
a symbol of our respect and gratitude.