Dear fellow MoveOn member,
The words "Sí, Se Puede" are synonymous with workers' rights, civil rights, and immigration reform. It's a demand for rights, a call to action, and even a tagline for the Obama 2008 presidential election. It is recognized worldwide as a reminder that the impossible is possible.
The person who coined those famous three words is Dolores Huerta.
Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which became what is known today as the United Farm Workers. She also played a pivotal role in labor protests throughout the '60s and '70s, including the Delano Grape Strike, a protest of more than 2 million Mexican and Filipino farmworkers who fought against exploitation.1
While Cesar Chavez has long been treated as the face of the farmworkers' movement, it was Huerta who built much of it. For this reason, Dolores Huerta deserves national recognition for her powerful legacy in the form of a federal holiday.
My name is Dr. Richard Ferro, and I'm a MoveOn member who started this petition to call on lawmakers to establish April 10—Huerta's birthday—as a federally recognized holiday called "Dolores Huerta Day"! Will you sign my petition?
Currently, March 31 is a federal holiday known as "Cesar Chavez Day"—but recent investigations found extensive evidence that Chavez groomed and sexually abused girls who worked in the movement, including minors Ana Murguía and Debra Rojas, as well as Dolores Huerta herself.2
It's time to correct the record and recognize the leader Dolores Huerta has always been. Will you sign the petition calling on Congress to establish April 10 as Dolores Huerta Day?
Historical erasure is not a passive accident. For decades, Dolores Huerta's contributions have been minimized, while an abuser was celebrated. Our government has the power to correct that—but only if we demand it.
We're calling on Congress to:
Establish April 10 as a federally recognized Dolores Huerta Day
Rescind the federal recognition of Cesar Chavez Day on March 31
Rename federal buildings and national sites currently bearing Chavez's name
Huerta co-founded the farmworkers' movement, led its negotiations, and shaped its strategy. Still, history chose to give Chavez the credit in the form of a federal holiday.
Tell Congress to do the right thing and recognize the lifetime achievements of a Chicana who dedicated her entire life to the advancement of farmworkers and civil rights across this country.
Just last month, California lawmakers voted to rename César Chavez Day as "Farmworkers Day" ahead of the March 31 state holiday.3 It's a meaningful step, and it reflects what happens when communities demand accountability. Now it's time for Congress to go further and not just rename a holiday but create one that affirmatively honors the woman who deserves it most.
Creating this holiday would be the ultimate recognition, bookending the impressive and widespread awards bestowed on Huerta, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award, the Hispanic Heritage Award, the Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Dolores Huerta is 94 years old and still organizing. She deserves to see her country honor her legacy with a federal holiday.
Sign the petition and tell Congress to do right by Dolores Huerta—and by every farmworker, survivor, and organizer she has championed throughout her life.
¡Sí, se puede!
Thanks for all you do.
–Richard Ferro, MoveOn member
Sources:
1. "Dolores Huerta," Dolores Huerta Foundation, accessed April 6, 2026
https://doloreshuerta.org/dolores-huerta/
2. "Cesar Chavez, a Civil Rights Icon, Is Accused of Abusing Girls for Years," The New York Times, March 20, 2026
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html
3. "California lawmakers pass bill renaming César Chavez Day after sexual abuse allegations," PBS News, March 26, 2026
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/california-lawmakers-pass-bill-renaming-cesar-chavez-day-after-sexual-abuse-allegations
You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you. It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online petitions. You can start your own petition here.
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