I grew up seeing Dolores Huerta in action. She was part of a generation of leaders who taught us that real change started in neighborhoods, around kitchen tables, in union halls, and church basements. It was rooted in people talking to one another about what wasn’t working and what they could do about it.
Dolores challenged us to stay rooted in community, especially as we gained access to institutions and positions of influence. Even when negotiating with presidents, she lived a simple truth: leadership is not about speaking for people; it is about organizing so people can wield their own power. As she said, “Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.”
That lesson stayed with me.
I see her legacy in so much of our work at the San Francisco Foundation. It lives in grantees like Faith in Action, which has organized people of faith for decades, and ACCE, which brings people of all backgrounds together to meet community needs. It lives in Bese Saka, our initiative that helped unite Black-led and Black-serving organizations in solidarity.
And it lives in our Latine Kitchen Cabinet, whose leaders remind us every day that power must remain accountable to our communities. For nearly a decade, we have had the privilege of working alongside Latine leaders from across the Bay Area. When they gather, their closeness to community is unmistakable. The relationships they have built with one another have grounded trust, shared purpose, and a growing capacity to act together across communities and the region. That is collective power, built across neighborhoods and generations.
So, even as she becomes an ancestor this Día de los Muertos, her legacy and work remain powerful and present in our lives. We carry her work forward by building upon that foundation: helping more people recognize their own power, strengthening relationships across communities, and expanding our collective capacity to shape what comes next.
That is how we truly honor Dolores Huerta. It’s how we invest in community, protect one another, and build a Bay Area where all of us can belong, contribute, and thrive.
