LA Honors Longtime Civil Rights Activist, Labor Union Leader Dolores Huerta

BOYLE HEIGHTS (CBSLA) — The city honored longtime civil rights activist and labor union leader Dolores Huerta Saturday at the corner of East First and Chicago streets in Boyle Heights.

Huerta, 89, had her name enshrined on the street corner that will now be known as Dolores Huerta Square during a dedication ceremony and street festival that began at noon.

"Dolores Huerta's name should be on the lips of every child in America, so they can appreciate what true courage in the face of insurmountable odds looks like," said City Councilman Jose Huizar, who led the effort to name the square. "Working alongside Cesar Chavez, and continuing today, Dolores Huerta didn't just blaze trails, she torched mountaintops and obliterated glass ceilings to give voice to the voiceless and lift up communities that are too often ignored, dismissed or shunned."

The dedication featured performances by the Alice Bag Band as well as several other musicians with poetry readings by Nikki Darling.

The location was chosen for its historic significance. The Chicago Building that sits on the southeast corner is the former site of the Stockton Community Service Organization where Huerta led programs to assist low-income and working families. It was through her work with the CSO that Huerta met Chavez, with whom she founded the United Farm Workers union.

Today, the building built in 1924 is the Boyle Heights City Hall. It is also home to Huizar's local office. The city of Los Angeles purchased the building in 2007.

The intersection was closed to traffic during the event.

Huizar and Huerta were joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, ceremony emcee Josefina Lopez and Emiliana Guereca, the Women's March Los Angeles foundation executive director.

Mayor Garcetti noticed one major prominent politician was absent.

"I think Dolores Huerta's presence here must have scared President Trump," the mayor quipped.

And the mayor did not miss the opportunity to blast the president for threatening mass deportations before changing his mind at the 11th hour.

"Now, he's playing with people's lives," Garcetti said, "My message is that these are not pawns. These are actual people, we know them."

Huerta has received numerous awards for her ongoing work including the Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Bill Clinton in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2012. The Dolores Huerta Foundation, founded in 2002, trains and empowers grassroots leaders in low-income communities to fight for social justice.

At 89, she has no desire or plans to slow down. She told CBS2/KCAL9 reporter Jake Reiner that she has a lot of fight left — especially on subjects like mass deportations.

"We have to organize," she said, "we have to register to vote. We've got to become citizens and make sure this type of political activity cannot continue."

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)