In 2014, Rosario Dawson portrayed labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta in Cesar Chavez, the biopic about the co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association. At the time, Dawson said Huerta deserved a biopic of her own. “I hope with the success of this film that there’s an opportunity to tell her story, ’cause she’s still writing it, she’s still out there on the front lines doing the stuff,” she said, according to The Associated Press. “I did so much research about her and it was just impossible – a lot of the stuff that we filmed didn’t even make it onto the cut.”
Two years later, the two have backed opposing candidates for the 2016 presidential elections. Huerta supports Hillary Clinton, and in February, she accused Bernie Sanders supporters of yelling “English only” at her at a Las Vegas caucus. Susan Sarandon and video footage weakened Huerta’s story.
The Washington Post later reported that neither side quite got the story correctly. The permanent chair said the event would go “forward in English only” after the audience yelled that Huerta supported Hillary. The crowd applauded the chair.
Huerta has continued to fight for Clinton, even going as far as writing a story on Medium – titled “On Immigration, Bernie Sanders is Not Who He Says He Is.” In the piece, she dissected Bernie’s stance on immigration.
This week, Dawson endorsed Sanders, and she came out swinging. First, she ripped the DNC a new one for not supporting grass-root campaigns, and today, she released an open letter to Huerta on the Huffington Post. She started off by acknowledging how much Huerta has done for Latinos, feminism, and workers’ rights before countering what Huerta wrote about Sanders point by point.
Here are a few key moments from Dawson’s letter:
1
She accused Huerta of distorting facts
“This is exactly why your article on Bernie Sanders came as such a surprise to me — that the same woman who has made it her life’s mission to speak the truth and shed light on corruption, lies, and false narratives created by the corporate elite and special interest groups, would now suddenly create a narrative that distorts facts and misguides American voters.”
2
She urged Huerta to rectify the "English only" comments
“Though it was debunked by multiple media outlets and video evidence, neither of you have corrected, apologized for, or taken down the posts. It’s race baiting, misleading, divisive and inaccurate and I hope you both will rectify that immediately. Regardless of either your interpretations of the event, the guidelines strictly prohibited any form of communication with caucus participants by campaigners once the caucus was called to order!”
3
She defended Sanders' decision to vote against Senator Ted Kennedy’s 2007 immigration reform bill
“It stepped-up border security, adding 20,000 more Border Patrol agents and 370 miles of additional fencing (you might call that “Trump wall” building) along the U.S.-Mexico border. It expanded the horribly abusive guest worker program that has left some people in what the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “close to slavery“ in its report on the subject. (There are other horror stories, too.)”
4
She countered Huerta's claim that Hillary is on the right side of history
5
She explained why she's not team Hillary
“Hillary Clinton’s track record goes directly against what you and every other activist before and after you has fought for: the rights of the people based on the Declaration of Independence and the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
6
She alleges Huerta is doing her legacy a disservice
“Dolores, I am surprised, dismayed, and concerned that you would do your legacy such a disservice by becoming an instrument of the establishment, rather than joining this movement to create a better America like you once inspired us to do.”