Congresswoman Maxine Waters and AHF President Michael Weinstein joined Dolores Huerta to Celebrate Downtown Los Angeles’s Newest Mural Honoring Iconic Labor Leader

Today, community leaders and activists gathered for the dedication ceremony of the new 100-foot mural honoring Dolores Huerta, the renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union, created by world-renowned Los Angeles muralist Robert Vargas. The mural, titled “Walking into History,” is on the north side wall of the Barclay Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, one of Housing4Humanity’s affordable housing hotels for formerly homeless and extremely low-income individuals. Huerta, who turned 96 on April 10, made her first community appearance since her recent extraordinary disclosures to the New York Times.

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Dolores Huerta, American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union, addresses the crowd at the dedication of a new mural by artist Robert Vargas honoring her at a ceremony hosted by AHF on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Downtown Los Angeles, California. To her right is AHF President Michael Weinstein and muralist Robert Vargas (far R) . The mural, titled “Walking into History,” is on a six-story wall of the historic Barclay Hotel, the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles and one of Housing4Humanity’s affordable housing hotels housing formerly homeless and extremely low-income individuals. This was Huerta’s first community appearance since her recent groundbreaking disclosures to the New York Times.

Dolores Huerta said, “I am honored to have this beautiful mural in the City of Angels that I love! I call on everyone here to take action and support labor and keep advancing the causes that matter. I call on all women to be women of struggle, and I call on all men to join all women to stop violence against women everywhere.”

The renowned artist Robert Vargas added, “It is an honor to create this mural of Dolores, who has dedicated her life to the laborers of this nation. At a time when we are reckoning with who we honor publicly, it is important to also recognize the powerful voices that have lifted, and continue to lift, entire movements.”

AHF President Michael Weinstein added, “The mural is our love letter to Dolores and everything she means to the struggle.”

Robert Vargas’ Los Angeles portfolio includes a landmark 150-foot-tall mural of baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in L.A.’s Little Tokyo, a Boyle Heights mural honoring the L.A. Dodgers’ late, great Fernando Valenzuela, two murals celebrating AHF’s Food for Health program at its food pantry location at the Sinclair Hotel in Westlake/MacArthur Park, and a wall mural on the side of FairOaks Burger in Altadena, CA, a critical resource and center of community following the Eaton wildfire in Pasadena last year.

At age 96, Huerta remains a beloved labor, civil rights and feminist icon in Los Angeles and communities across the nation. Her tireless work and dedication continue to serve as an inspiration to all who follow in her footsteps.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 3 million individuals across 50 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center’s highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

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The Vargas mural is on L.A.'s Barclay Hotel, one of Housing4Humanity’s affordable housing hotels for homeless & extremely low-income individuals. Huerta made her first community appearance since her recent extraordinary disclosures to the New York Times.