A Conversation with Dolores Huerta
Burke's had the honor of hosting Dolores Huerta, Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Organized by the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB), it was a truly special event for all! Anna Yatroussis ’84, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging moderated the event that included a Q&A session with students and families. Topics ranged from the beginnings of the United Farm Worker’s union, holding a leadership role, allyship, and words of wisdom for young people today who are seeking to make a positive change in this world. When asked what keeps her hopeful about the future, Dolores responded that she has seen real progress and “while it hasn’t been fast enough we know we are moving in the right direction.”
Dolores Huerta is a civil rights activist and community organizer who has worked for labor rights and social justice for over 50 years. In 1962, she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union. She served as Vice President and played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship which she used to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF). DHF is connecting groundbreaking community-based organizing to state and national movements to register and educate voters; advocate for education reform; bring about infrastructure improvements in low-income communities; advocate for greater equality for the LGBT community, and create strong leadership development. She has received numerous awards: among them The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998. In 2012 President Obama bestowed Dolores with The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
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