HOUSE MEMORIAL 62

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Patricia Roybal Caballero and Christine Trujillo

and Susan K. Herrera and Karen C. Bash and Joanne J. Ferrary

A MEMORIAL

HONORING NEW MEXICO'S DAUGHTER AND SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADER DOLORES HUERTA AND DECLARING FEBRUARY 27, 2019 "DOLORES HUERTA DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

     WHEREAS, las mujeres, incorporated, the south valley and Barelas neighbors, neighborhood associations, coalitions and numerous south valley businesses, residents and leaders are joining together to honor one of New Mexico's daughters, civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, with a street that bears her name; and

     WHEREAS, avenida Dolores Huerta will connect with avenida Cesar Chavez, making it the only street in the nation to join these two civil rights leaders, while making history and attracting positive attention to the Dolores Huerta community, state and nation; and

     WHEREAS, it is appropriate that these two leaders who worked side by side for equality should be honored with connecting avenues; and

     WHEREAS, "avenue" by definition means a course of action to be taken in order to approach, attain or gain access to somebody or something; and

     WHEREAS, the definition of avenue exemplifies the life's work of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, who worked tirelessly to gain basic human rights for the disenfranchised; and

     WHEREAS, as a farm laborer's daughter, Dolores Huerta witnessed the brutal conditions under which her father, brothers and nearly everyone she knew were forced to labor; and

     WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta's own experiences of discrimination and her innate sense of justice and a desire to help others led her to join forces with Cesar Chavez; and

     WHEREAS, together, through nonviolent protest and a nationally and internationally successful grape strike, they changed the way people who were striking were treated; and

     WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta worked to improve social and economic conditions for farm workers and to fight discrimination; and

     WHEREAS, to further her cause, Dolores Huerta created the agricultural workers association in 1960 and co-founded what would become the united farm workers; and

     WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta set up voter registration drives and lobbied politicians to allow non-United States citizen migrant workers to receive public assistance and pensions and to provide Spanish-language voting ballots and driver's tests; and

     WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta, a skilled community organizer, traveled from poverty to political victory and became the second Mexican-American woman in history to be honored with the presidential medal of freedom; and

     WHEREAS, her namesake, the Dolores Huerta foundation, brings organizing and training skills to low-income communities by engaging and developing natural leaders; and

     WHEREAS, Dolores Huerta embodies the values of family, community and land; and

     WHEREAS, the naming of avenida Dolores Huerta is a unique opportunity to showcase the contributions she has made to her community, state and country;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that Dolores Huerta be honored for her fierce and tireless activism to gain basic human rights for the poor and disenfranchised; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that February 27, 2019 be designated "Dolores Huerta Day" in the house of representatives; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to Dolores Huerta, the mayor of Albuquerque, the Bernalillo county board of county commissioners and the city of Albuquerque city councilors.

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