BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Tributes continue to pour in online and in person for Dolores Huerta, a pillar of the farm labor and civil rights movements who died earlier this week at 96. Locally, the Fox Theatre added a tribute to the late labor leader to the center of its marquee on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
As news of Huerta\u2019s death spread on Wednesday, communities from Arizona to Los Angeles and throughout the Central Valley gathered to remember her life and legacy.<\/p>\n
Here in Bakersfield, more than 100 people gathered Wednesday night at the future site of the Dolores Huerta Peace and Justice Cultural Center. Family members were among those paying tribute.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of my mother, my sisters, my aunt, my mother’s younger sister, my cousins, we want to thank you for coming out here tonight. This has not been easy for us, but we know that my mother would have been honored, and we’re honored by your vigil here this evening,\u201d said Emilio Huerta, one of Dolore\u2019s children, during Wednesday night\u2019s vigil.<\/p>\n
Community leaders and members of Huerta\u2019s family reflected on her decades of activism and her message that ordinary people have the power to create change.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went out and did the work that needed to be done, and that was her legacy. And her message to all individuals is that each one of us has power. And right now we need to exercise our power. As we know, we got election days coming up right next week. And to honor her legacy, the best way you could honor her legacy is to go cast your vote. Make sure you vote,\u201d said Lori de Leon, one of Dolore\u2019s children, during Wednesday night\u2019s vigil.<\/p>\n
By Thursday, the tributes continued, with Governor Gavin Newsom ordering flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff in Huerta\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n
Back in Bakersfield, the vigil built on Wednesday afternoon and evening remained in place Thursday afternoon. Irene de Barraicua with Lideres Campesinas returned Thursday morning to add candles to the memorial. When asked what Huerta meant to her, she pointed to three words that became synonymous with the labor leader: \u201cS\u00ed se puede.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody who wasn’t just talking the talk but actually putting all of her words into action. So like, the three words that people know that Dolores Huerta coined, right, the ‘S\u00ed se puede,’ the ‘yes you can.’ She was all about it. She was \u2013 she put that into practice. It wasn’t just three words or a chant; it was her daily life,\u201d said Barraicua.<\/p>\n
In an email from a spokesperson for the family, the family will be holding a private funeral service for Huerta, however, they noted that there will be a public memorial, and details will be shared on that in the future<\/p>\n
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