Illustration by Gemma Fa-Kaji
“Down with fear! Abajo! Down with lettuce and grapes! Abajo! You know, this really works … Can we live in a world of brotherhood and peace without disease and fear and oppression? Si se puede, right? OK, let’s all do it together. Si se puede! Si se puede!” Of the many beautiful scenes in an incredible movie, none encapsulate who Dolores Huerta is and what makes her so special better than this one. The shaky recording on the screen shows Huerta speaking at one of countless protests she was a part of throughout the Chicano movement, and the viewer understands the innate ability that Huerta possessed to deliver a powerful message whilst simultaneously bringing people together. As powerful as the movie was interesting, Dolores uses a combination of old interviews, recordings, and images, mixed with current day ones, all to the tune of a flavorful and exciting soundtrack. This movie succeeds in giving its audience a glimpse into the life of one of the most important and influential activists in the history of the United States.
The movie begins by showing the back of an old lady walking down a motel hallway at night, without revealing who the woman is. Possibly playing with the idea that Huerta has never received the recognition that she deserves. It does a good job in creating a sort of mystery to the uneducated viewer who may not realize that this was in fact a current-day Huerta. The movie then skips to the same old lady entering what looks to be a high school gymnasium. The doors open to warm and admiring applause from all over the room and a man standing at the front with a microphone shouting, “Dolores Huerta, everybody!” After this small and slightly bland introduction, the movie explodes out of nowhere with its loud and colorful soundtrack that was put together in part by renowned Mexican-American musician, Carlos Santana. Using this transition, the movie illustrates how, although Huerta lives in a time where her actions get limited recognition, this movie has every intent to give acknowledgement to an unsung heroine. One thing quickly becomes clear; Huerta was every bit as important as anyone else (if not more) in the Chicano movement during the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s and is still working hard today.
The movie stresses the fact that Huerta was never interested in being complacent. So when she found herself at the age of 25 as a housewife, she felt she needed to do more. The movie does rush a little bit to get to her years as a political activist, without offering much insight into what spurred such a passionate career. This was clearly with the intent to get to the heart of what the movie is really about, and though it is a little forced, the movie makes up for it with its inspiring focal points. We quickly understand as the movie progresses that Huerta had no interest in material things, her own personal well-being, or even the well-being of her family. She continually took hate for not fitting into typical gender roles, having eleven kids across broken marriages, and not being afraid to stand up to men. Yet, as we know by now, Huerta did not, does not, and never will care about others’ approval. While people were busy criticizing her, Huerta was working on things such as forming labor unions, and organizing protests against pesticides by spreading the word to not eat grapes as well as helping to organize a strike for grape workers in 1973. While people were trying to find flaws in the remarkable woman, Huerta continued to work nonstop to create a better world for herself and for marginalized people across the country.
While the main focus of Dolores is to give recognition to all of Huerta’s incredible accomplishments, what it really does is use her achievements as evidence to support the claim that Huerta was an unbreakable spirit during a trying time, and never wavered in her fight for justice and equality. Dolores is as inspirational as it is informative, the overarching theme speaking more to the story of a woman who, at the age of 87, is still fighting for women and immigrant rights, and shows us all what selflessness in the fight for a greater cause really looks like.