Dolores Huerta
Through that organization [Community Service Organization], I met Cesar Chavez. We had this common interest about farm workers. We ultimately left CSO to start the National Farm Workers Organization, which became the United Farm Workers. I was very blessed to have learned some of the skills of basic grassroots organizing from Mr. Ross and then be able to put that into practice in both CSO and the United Farm Workers.Collection: Blessed
If we don't have workers organized into labor unions, we're in great peril of losing our democracy.Collection: Democracy
Going door to door and talking to people, convincing them to vote - this is what I call Organizing 101.Collection: Doors
My son, Emilio Huerta, is running for congress. He was a young man who was marching and picketing.Collection: Running
If you don't know, your labor unions and community organizations, there's somebody you can ask to guide you. A lot of people, especially in the Latino community, they have this big ballot and all these names and propositions on it, and they say 'Oh my God'. They don't know which of these to vote for, so they don't vote.Collection: Names
We need to keep ringing the bell, wake people up to get our democracy together. Farm workers are like a symbol, and it is good that people are paying attention.Collection: People
I had been a Girl Scout from the time I was 8 to the time I was 18 years old. I had belonged to my church organization and youth groups. But, you never really found a way that you could make a change.Collection: Girl
The racist rhetoric from politicians is inspiring people to organize, as more people see what happens by not getting active.Collection: People
You could really belong to a group of people and with other people, you could really make some significant changes - through the electoral process, of course, by registering people to vote, and by supporting good people who were running for office. For me, it was like I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.Collection: Running
Gloria Steinem in the women's movement. Eleanor Smeal of the Feminist Majority. There are all of these great wonderful women I've met that are so inspirational.Collection: Feminist
How do I stop eleven million people from buying the grape?Collection: People
I am happy to see that, increasingly, people care about farm workers. There is tremendous interest in where and how our food is grown.Collection: People
My kids have lived experiences that could have never been duplicated otherwise. That's one thing about people who get involved in activism, you live so many experiences that otherwise they wouldn't be there. This is why peoples' lives are so enriched.Collection: Kids
I'm glad that the fact that people are still getting poisoned by pesticide drift is gaining attention.Collection: People
My children grew up very resourceful and strong in spite of them having to live with different families and that I had to drag them all over the country with me.Collection: Country
As organizations, we have to find ways to create more opportunities, especially for our young people. A lot of corporations, they have to make opportunities for young people - create internships, for example, even if it's only half-time.Collection: Opportunity
I think, if anything, my children are the ones who have sacrificed because I've had to too many times be absent from them. But, at the same time, they have lived very enriched lives and probably experienced things they wouldn't have if not for the movements. So, there are some rewards.Collection: Children
I was very fortunate to have known Fred Ross Sr., who was organizing the Community Service Organization (CSO) way back in the late 50's and early 60's. I was able to work with him.Collection: Organization
When you talk about sacrifices, the ones in my family who have sacrificed are my children, because I love what I'm doing. I love the work. I love to go out there and talk about organizing the people. To me, that's something I really enjoy.Collection: Children
We criticize and separate ourselves from the process. We've got to jump right in there with both feet.Collection: Positive
My mother was a dominant force in our family. And that was great for me as a young woman, because I never saw that women had to be dominated by men.Collection: Mother
We have to convince people that they have the power to elect people. The people they are electing are the ones making the decisions about how our tax dollars are going to be spent. Is it going to be for more jails, or for more schools? For more house services? It's very important that people understand that, do their research and find out who to vote for.Collection: School
I hope people become inspired to become active in their community. That's the important thing.Collection: People
Sometimes, we have to promote ourselves. Just go out and be very active about trying to find an opportunity.Collection: Opportunity
If we can just convince other people to get involved, this could make some major changes in our society. It's very exhilarating.Collection: People
We know we only have about half of our population that's voting.Collection: Voting
Among our people, theres not any question about women being strong -- even stronger than men -- they work in the fields right along with the men. When your survival is at stake, you dont have these questions about yourself like middle -- class women do.Collection: Strong
Once you see the outcomes and the results, and you see how many people are helped and benefitting, you want to keep on doing it because it's so simple.Collection: Simple
The majority of Latinos in this country are 28 years old or younger. All of those people out there attacking the Latino community, when you see a Latino going down the street with a baby carriage and a couple of children walking beside them, they should say 'Hey, there goes my social security and my Medicare.' Those are the people that are going to contribute to keep our social security system funded and our medical system funded.Collection: Country
We have to get back down to basics. We have to start organizing at the neighborhood level to get people educated to vote.Collection: People
I want to say to mothers out there, you know, take your children to marches. Take them to meetings because this is a way that they can become strong, and they understand what politics is all about because they are actually living it.Collection: Mother
Why is it that farmworkers feed the nation but they can't get food stamps?Collection: Farming
I think we brought to the world, the United States anyway, the whole idea of boycotting as a nonviolent tactic. I think we showed the world that nonviolence can work to make social change.Collection: Thinking
In fact, the corporations are driving out the competition and it is not getting better, especially when they are not paying income taxes. Thank goodness for the social media out there, because we sure can't count on the corporate media to get the word out.Collection: Media
Of course, we have leaders in the African American community as well that we've all worked with. One of the great rewards of being an activist is that you get to meet all these wonderful people. And there are many unsung heroes. There are so many out there that are good people that are working hard.Collection: Hero
Exercise your right to vote.Collection: Exercise
As we've focused more on our food and where it comes from, people now have greater awareness of what's being put onto our food, pesticides, labeling issues, and consumer health.Collection: Issues
People can take power over their communities and over their lives. Some people don't realize they can do that. They think 'It's OK for other people, but I myself can't do it.' Hopefully, that will come out of the film.Collection: Thinking
As a youngster and being a Latina, you see so much injustice.Collection: Injustice
Employers able to work together with workers and sharing gains and profits will lead to a much better world, getting away from income inequality.Collection: Working Together
I call myself an addicted organizer.Collection: Organizer
There's just so many facets, I think, of the ignorance in our society that have to be corrected if we're really going to have a democratic society and a society that is just and that respects all of the members of this society regardless of who they are, what color they may be, what sexual orientation that they have or what gender, you know, they happen to be.Collection: Ignorance
Our society is connecting workers with the products people consume and recognizing workers for their contributions. It is important to do that, and to have organized labor - a middle class - to preserve our democracy.Collection: Class
Once I learned about grassroots organizing, I got so enamored with it because I thought 'Wow this is the way you do it!'Collection: Wow