Dolores Huerta Stands Strong: The Woman Who Demanded Justice (Biographies for Young Readers)

Selected as a Bank Street College of Education Best Childrens Book of the Year for 2018 (Category: TwelveFourteen) A biography for the times An excellent read for anyone hoping to believe one person can make a difference. Kirkus (starred review) This well-told, age-appropriate account of a vital and essential activist deserves a place in all middle grade collections. School Library Journal (starred review) Today, we know Dolores Huerta as the cofounder, with Cesar Chavez, of the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America. We know her as a tireless advocate for the rights of farmworkers, Mexican American immigrants, women, and LGBTQ populations. And we know her as the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012. Before all that, though, Huerta was a child in the farming community of Stockton, California, and then a teenager whose teachers underestimated her because she was Chicana. When she became a teacher herself, she witnessed her students coming to school shoeless and hungry. Many took days off from school to work in the farm fields to help feed their families. What could she do to help them? A young mother at the time, Huerta quit her teaching job to organize their parents. That began her journey to educate a nation about who produces our food and the conditions under which they work. Dolores Huerta Stands Strong follows Huertas life from the mining communities of the Southwest where her father toiled, to the vineyards and fields of California, and across the country to the present day. As she worked for fair treatment for others, Dolores earned the nations highest honors. More important, she found her voice. Dolores Huerta Stands Strong follows Huerta's life from the mining communities of the Southwest where her father toiled, to the vineyards and fields of California, to the present day. As she advocated for farmworkers, Mexican American immigrants, women, and LGBTQ population rights, Dolores earned the nation's highest honors and found her voice.;Harvesting the fruits of labor: symbol of justice -- Tilling the soil: born to speak out -- Fertilizing the soil: the making of an organizer -- Planting the seeds: building La Causa -- Tending the soil: no more buying grapes! -- Thinning the shoots: the fight continues -- Weeding the fields: danger ahead -- Spreading more seeds: expanding the cause -- Another harvest: more mountains to climb.