DOLORES HUERTA AND XIYE BASTIDA, IN CONVERSATION

Too often, history has been told through a male lens, but it’s time to change that narrative. “Many women have done very magnificent and wonderful things,” says Dolores Huerta in Beauty of Becoming. “And yet their stories are lost in history.” Huerta has spent her life trying to make sure history is also inclusive of her-story as a labor leader and civil rights activist. She is the co-founder of the United Farm Workers, and, most importantly, the originator of the iconic social justice slogan, “Si, se puede,” or, “Yes, we can.” In honor of Women’s Month, she recently sat down to chat with environmental activist and fellow Beauty of Becoming collaborator Xiye Bastida, the 18-year-old Mexican-Chilean organizer and co-founder of the youth climate strike Fridays For Future. They spoke about the fight for gender equality in activism, how to keep inspired and engaged, and what advice Dolores would give to the younger generation.

XIYE BASTIDA: With this being Women’s Month, I wanted to ask you, what differences for women do you see today compared to when you first started in activism?

DOLORES HUERTA: Well, one thing I have learned through our Dolores Huerta Foundation, which is active in four different counties in California with 17 chapters in our organization, is that the majority of people in leadership are all women. And this is a volunteer organization. I would say 99 percent of the leadership and the participants are women. It always seems, even with the United Farm Workers, we saw that women were always at the forefront in terms of the struggle. You know, Coretta Scott King said that we will never have peace in the world until women take power, and I think that is really true. But we still have a long way to go in terms of getting a gender balance in all public offices. That’s something that we need to really strive for. Women do not need to see themselves as servants, or just advocates for men. We have to see ourselves as leaders, and definitely know that we have the power to make changes that need to be made.

XIYE: I actually made the calculations for the organization that I co-founded, and 96 percent of the members are women. So I don’t think many things have changed when it comes to that kind of spirit of women to come and take care of things. To be loving, and have that feminine spirit. Which is a spirit that men can also have. I think that’s important to mention, right? Because most of the men and the guys who are a part of the organization are the sweetest ever. And especially in the climate organizations that I’ve been involved with, they are willing to help from a place of love as well. So I think that it’s important to mention that when we strive for gender balance, we also have to strive for respect for one another. And the respect of having all genders be leaders, and that that could be normalized. Because the fact that both of our organizations are mostly women, and that it is not reflected in politics, I think there’s a disconnect there.

DOLORES: Yes. I have actually changed Coretta Scott’s quote. I have added to her statement to say that there will never be peace in the world until feminists take power. Because we know that there are so many women that are not yet enlightened. And they don’t fight for women’s reproductive rights, which is something that is very essential for every woman to have. We know that there are men out there that are also feminists, and one of the things, too, that we really have to fight for, and the way that we can solve many problems in the United States is through education. We have to teach little boys, starting with kindergarten, that women are equal to men, and that women are not sex objects. That way, we can get rid of the machismo and the sexism. And that also, there is a third gender out there, and that we do not want to discriminate against people because they are gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, or transgender. That every human being needs to be respected.

XIYE: My next question for you is, what is your advice to my generation, Gen Z? We’ve been really politically active, but it’s not something people expected of us. What is your advice for us to stay engaged, and to demand things from our legislators? Personally, I’m not a U.S. citizen, so I feel a little awkward doing that. But I always encourage my classmates to be more active, to learn more about the Constitution, to learn more about their rights and the things that they can demand. So I would like to get your perspective on your advice for my generation.

DOLORES: Well, number one, you should never feel reluctant to participate, because you are paying taxes. All those public officials, including the president, they work for you. You are paying his salary and everyone else’s. And I think it’s very commendable what you are doing. Your participation and your leadership, it’s really an inspiration and a symbol for everybody else. So thank you for what you are doing. And yes, the main thing is just to keep people involved all of the time. One of the things I didn’t mention that is very important is—and it’s part of a bill to make sure everybody in the United States has the right to vote, and to make sure that votes are not suppressed—public financing for elections, and public campaign financing. That is part of a bill that is being considered in Congress right now. This is a good way to get money out of politics.