Jessie Lopez De La Cruz

Jessie Lopez De La Cruz (Jesuita Lopez; 1919 – September 2, 2013) was a Chicano-American who worked with Dolores Huerta and Caesar Chavez to fight for farm worker rights. She was born in Anaheim, California, and started working on the farm at age 5. In 1932 she worked for the San Juan Capistrano to translate during a farm worker strike. She joined the National Farm Workers Association (later known as the United Farm workers) and was the first female recruiter and became one of the best. She participated in strikes and helped to ban the short-handed hoe, which led to back injuries of the farm workers. She also helped teach farm workers English. Jessie de la Cruz worked for the Fresno County Economic Opportunity Commission, the Central California Action Associates, and California's Commission on the Status of Women. While working for the United Farm Workers, she advocated for more women in leadership roles. She retired from the United Farm Workers in 1993 and began working in the California Rural Legal Assistance and a Catholic Charity. She continued to be a political activist until she died in 2013.