Dolores Huerta: Building Coalitions to Affect Change
Overview
Students explore the experiences of Mexican-American farmworkers in the United States and learn about how they – especially through the leadership of Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers – worked with others for improvements in pay and working conditions, as well as respect for their civil rights. Students analyze primary sources that document working and living conditions at different times in order to build context and then analyze additional sources that highlight the contributions of Dolores Huerta, including a poem written to celebrate her work. Finally, students write their own poem about a time they worked as part of a coalition to help solve a problem.
Related Resources
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Viva la Causa! Dolores Huerta and Hispanic Heritage Month
Library blog post -
Celebrating "One Life: Dolores Huerta"
poets discussing Huerta and reading poems about her -
Celebrating Women’s History Month by Honoring Dolores Huerta
Thinking Nation blog post -
Cesar Chavez & Good Citizenship
elementary/middle school lesson plan -
Today in History: Mexican Americans & United Farm Workers of America
background, primary & secondary sources -
Primary Source Spotlight: Labor
primary sources, articles, teaching resources -
Diana García Reading From Her Work
audio recording & transcription
Grade
Middle School
Subjects
Civics, English Language Arts
Length
60-90 minutes
Topics
civil rights, coalitions, Dolores Huerta, huelga, labor, poetry, strike, UFW, union, United Farm Workers