Latina civil rights leader Dolores Huerta endorsed Vice President Harris’ presidential bid on Thursday, adding a powerful progressive voice to her growing base of support.
“I’ve known Kamala Harris for a long time – and I’ve seen firsthand how she fights tirelessly for Latino communities, working families and all Americans,” Huerta said in a statement.
“Today, I am thrilled to support Vice President Harris as our next president of the United States because I know she will be our fierce defender in the White House.”
Huerta will headline Harris’ campaign events in Phoenix on Thursday, alongside presidential campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez, granddaughter of labor organizer César Chávez.
Together, Chávez and Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later merged into the United Farm Workers, a labor group that spawned the modern Latino civil rights movement.
Huerta’s collaboration with Chávez lasted until his death in 1993.
President Biden, who named Chávez Rodríguez as his campaign manager before dropping out of the race, displays a bust of Chávez in the Oval Office.
Huerta has been a vocal supporter of the Biden administration and an equally vocal opponent of former President Trump.
“For the past three and a half years, Kamala Harris has worked alongside Joe Biden to restore sanity and stability to our lives. DACA is stronger than ever and healthcare is more affordable than ever. Kamala and Joe worked to keep families together, reduce daily costs, and supported organized labor. Under a Harris presidency, we will continue to build on this progress,” Huerta said in his statement.
“Donald Trump, however, promises a return to chaos and cruelty. After separating children from their parents and trying to end DACA during his presidency, he now promises to separate families and deport tens of millions of hard-working people.”
Huerta has also been a longtime supporter of Harris.
In 2019, she endorsed Harris’s presidential bid and signed on as campaign co-chair in California.
In April, Harrisposted a selfiewith Huerta at a White House reception wishing the labor leader a happy 94th birthday.
Huerta remained politically active, focusing on improving democratic institutions.
“Some things have to change to save our democracy and maintain our democracy. And it’s not just about the United States of America, it’s about the whole world. We are the beacons, so to speak, of democracy, and if we can’t make it work here, then it won’t work anywhere else,” she told The Hill in a September interview at an event organized by Democracy Forward, an organization non-profit anti-corruption group.
At the event, Huerta noted that the two main candidates then running in the Mexican presidential election were women, meaning that the next president of that country – where some of Huerta’s ancestors came from – would be a woman.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to take office in October to become the first female American head of state.
“I’ve been telling everyone that we will have the first female president in Mexico. Mexico will beat the United States to have the first female president,” Huerta said at the time, when Biden ran virtually unopposed for the Democratic presidential nomination.
“So women, women can make this happen.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
