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Author: Luisa Vargas

Honoring Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta was a leader whose unwavering commitment to justice helped shape generations of changemakers. Her life’s work went far beyond the farmworker movement. She fought for fair wages, safe working conditions, immigrant rights, women’s equality, voting rights, environmental justice, and the dignity of working-class communities. She reminded us that our voices matter and that meaningful change happens when we stand juntos.

At Latino Outdoors, we recognize that the fight for equity, access, and representation extends into every space, including nature. Making outdoor spaces more inclusive is also part of a larger movement for environmental and social justice.

Dolores touched the lives of so many in our comunidad and influenced their work. Her spirit lives on in the organizers, advocates, outdoor leaders, and educators who continue con la lucha. At Latino Outdoors, her words, sí, se puede will continue to be a reminder of what’s possible when we believe in our collective power.

As we mourn her passing, we also celebrate the movement she helped build and the countless lives she inspired. Here are some mensajitos left for her by members of our comunidad as we honor and carry forward her legacy.

¡Gracias, Dolores! Your fight continues through all of us.

“Dolores Huerta was the perfect person with the perfect name for her life’s cause: fighting for farmworkers and against the painful difficulties they faced in our country’s orchards and fields.  Of course, she was a champion who transcended being a labor leader. Throughout her long, awe-inspiring life, Dolores lived and breathed three core values we hold dear at Latino Outdoors: comunidad, service, and access. She epitomized leadership and courage in ways that were both front-facing and unseen, putting personal pain aside and the cause first as few people do or can. When thinking about leaders worthy of admiration, I will always put Dolores Huerta, with her deep commitment and selfless tenacity, at the top. ¡Mil gracias Dolores!“

– Luis Villa, LO Executive Director

“In 2023, Dolores Huerta spoke at the Poderoso Awards, a virtual event hosted by Somos el Poder honoring Latino philanthropists. In her speech, she reminisced about fundraising for the United Farm Workers union in its earliest days by asking its members, who were only making $.70 an hour for $3.50 in monthly dues. She explained that she found the “ask” to be difficult, so she shifted her mindset to focus on how a well-funded union could demand the changes necessary to improve the lives of farm workers. Ordinary people have the power to fundraise to sustain the organizations and change they believe in. She went on to say, ‘We need to make people understand that they have the power to organize. They have the power to vote and that they have the power to raise the necessary funds needed to sustain [our cause].’

This short speech changed my approach to development work. Dolores Huerta gave me permission to be more bold with my ask. She underscored for me how fundraising is the backbone of movement building. As a result, I will talk to anyone about Latino Outdoors and have no hesitation asking ordinary people, foundations, corporations, or philanthropists for the funds to sustain our work as community builders expanding outdoor access, investing in outdoor leadership, and broadening outdoor narratives. Our mission is worth the ask. Dolores told me so.”

– Vanessa Herrera, LO Development Director

“Dolores, gracias for inspiring me to fight for what is right. For teaching me to be an advocate for my community, mi gente, and for our lands and water we call home here in the Central Valley. Thank you for advocating for survivors and their stories before passing, a brave and beautiful act of solidarity that many don’t get to do in this lifetime. May you always be remembered for all the best work you have done. Gracias for being the example that we can fight till the very end. Sí se puede.“

-Adriana Becerra, LO Fresno Outings Leader

“Dolores Huerta’s legacy is that change begins with community, with people who care enough to show up, speak up, and make space for others. In many ways, I see those same values reflected in my journey with Latino Outdoors. Dolores reminds me that the work we do today can create opportunities for generations we may never even meet. And that’s something I hope to continue carrying in my own work and in life.”

-Josie Gutierrez, LO Texas Regional Coordinator

“In 2023, I was invited to join Green Latinos’ quinceañera in Washington, D.C., where Dolores Huerta was the guest of honor. We were all moved by her memorable speech, which ended in a collective sí, se puede, but that was not the moment that stuck with me. Despite being in a room where everyone’s work was directly connected to hers, Dolores Huerta did not miss the opportunity to dance. She danced and conversed with all who came up to her despite the loud music. I remember thinking, “This is where the magic happens.” Those moments of personal connection while honoring our cultura are reminders que juntos, sí, se puede.“

-Luisa Vargas, LO Communications Co-Lead

Go. It Will Be Good For You

por Richard “Flaco” Flores

My mom passed away in 2021. We were very close, and losing her broke me. I went through a tough time: depression, loneliness – I felt I was in a deep hole with no way out. I had thought about doing the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) earlier that year – a 10-day hike through the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps – but hadn’t made any plans. I didn’t see how I could now, in the state that I was in. A close friend told me, “Flaco, go! It would be good for you.” Still unsure about it, I decided to do it. Last minute. Self-guided. Solo. Just me, my backpack, and a yearning to explore, a yearning to catch myself. I’m so happy I did.

I didn’t grow up hiking or in the outdoors. I grew up in Los Angeles – a concrete jungle. My family wasn’t particularly into nature, so there were no camping trips or hikes planned, not even to the nearby mountains. Possibly because my family had other things to worry about. The outdoors felt out of reach. It wasn’t until I moved to Portland, Oregon, that I started immersing myself in nature. A friend invited me along on hikes, and little by little, I developed an appreciation for it. But even then, I saw hiking mostly as an activity, a challenge, something to do with friends. I never saw it as healing. Not until the TMB.

On the third day of the hike, crossing into Italy over the Col de la Seigne, something happened that I wasn’t expecting. I reached the top of the climb and stopped. There was a huge valley, mountains on both sides as far as I could see. As I started the descent, taking one step in front of the other, immersing myself in all of it – suddenly, looking at the sprinkle of flowers here and there – deep emotions resurfaced. Feelings I’d been carrying for months.

I stopped. I knelt down. And I let some grief out. This huge, breathtaking valley, and I, grieving in the middle of it. It was one of the most healing experiences of my life. And I was able to continue lighter, brighter for the trail ahead.

Nature doesn’t judge. It doesn’t rush you. It just holds the space and lets you feel what you need to feel. That’s when I understood what my friend meant, that it would be good for me. This is what the trail does: it grounds you. It doesn’t fix anything. But it gives you something to hold on to, to stand on.

I finished the TMB ten days later. I walked back into Chamonix lighter than I’d left. Not because my problems had disappeared, they hadn’t. But because I’d been reminded that I was still capable. Still moving. Still here.

Since then, I’ve hiked the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites. This summer I’m doing the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, fourteen days through the Swiss Alps.

I want to share my story to encourage people to get outdoors and experience nature. Because I want to be for someone else what my friend was for me. The voice that says: “Go. It will be good for you”

Nature always has your back. I’m living proof.

¡Vamos!

Richard “Flaco” Flores is a Latino hiker based in Portland, Oregon. He grew up in Los Angeles with no access to the outdoors and discovered hiking as an adult — and eventually as a lifeline. He documents his hikes on YouTube and Instagram at Andar con el Flaco, creating content for the Latino outdoor community in English and Spanish. This summer he’ll be doing the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt through the Swiss Alps.

Doors to the Outdoors

por Yoriko Richards Carreón

“Girls can be what they can see” is such an important concept. By opening up opportunities for ourselves, we also open doors of possibility for others.

I didn’t grow up with a life outdoors. I started exploring more when I was in college and living near the mountains. I fell in love with the wind, water, and tall pines. What started as once-a-month hikes slowly became weekly adventures. The outdoors healed me during a time when I felt a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in my life.

That love eventually led me to a job supporting outdoor programs. In many ways, that work healed something in me that I didn’t even realize needed attention. During my first week, I attended my very first women of color snowshoe hike.

I was scared and intimidated. What if I can’t keep up? What if they realize I don’t know what I’m doing? What if… and the thoughts kept going. I came into the event already imagining reasons to cancel.

Everything changed once we started walking and talking.

Every woman there was experiencing snowshoeing for the first time too. That immediately made me feel more comfortable with my own fears. If I was going to be scared, I could still do it scared. The staff was knowledgeable, encouraging, and made sure we felt safe and supported.

There was so much joy in watching people experience snowshoeing, or even the outdoors in community, for the first time. So much laughter, learning, and warmth. Watching everyone else shifted my mindset. Trying new things didn’t have to feel so intimidating.

That experience inspired me to keep pushing myself to try new outdoor activities. Now I trail run, backpack, and camp. All things that once felt intimidating are now part of my regular yearly rhythm.

A couple of years ago, I shared this story during a Latina meetup. Right away, people started asking me for tips, places to go, and how to get started outdoors. That was the moment I realized how powerful representation can be. By getting past my own fears and opening doors for myself, I could help make the outdoors feel less intimidating for someone else too.

I always say: you never know who is watching, who is being inspired, or who needed to see someone like them in a space they once felt they didn’t belong in.

Sometimes simply showing up is enough to help someone else believe they can too.