Dolores Huerta was a civil rights icon and labor chief who met numerous well-known folks in her lengthy life. She was additionally a passionate jazz fan, who discovered herself speechless when she met Charlie Parker.
Transcript
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Dolores Huerta was, in fact, identified around the globe for her tireless work as a labor and political organizer. That work continued nicely into her 90s. However few folks knew that she was simply as enthusiastic about jazz music. Felix Contreras is the host of NPR Music’s Alt.Latino podcast, and he as soon as shared the mic in our NPR studios with Dolores Huerta as she spun a few of her favourite jazz tracks. Felix, what an expertise. Thanks for being right here.
FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE: Thanks.
SUMMERS: Now, once we heard immediately that Dolores Huerta had died, we knew that we wished to speak to you in regards to the time you spent along with her. Inform us the story.
CONTRERAS: OK, in 2017, the PBS collection “Impartial Lens” introduced a documentary about Dolores Huerta that was directed by Peter Bratt and government produced by Carlos Santana. Now, I attended a screening right here in D.C., and I made my means via the gang of admirers to ask her to the podcast to speak in regards to the movie. And I informed her we have been largely a musical podcast, and she or he informed me that she may discuss music as nicely.
SUMMERS: OK.
CONTRERAS: You must know that within the earliest days of organizing the United Farm Staff union, each agitprop theater and music have been used as organizing instruments, and it was largely Mexican folks music. So once I invited her, I anticipated a totally totally different playlist than the one she introduced.
SUMMERS: OK, that is simply a tremendous story. Did she point out something to you that gave you a way of simply how critical of a music fan she was?
CONTRERAS: Yeah, she talked about touring from her dwelling in Stockton to go to jazz golf equipment in San Francisco. Then she pulled off the final word jazz fan identify drop.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
DOLORES HUERTA: And I suppose my declare to fame is I met Charlie Parker (laughter).
CONTRERAS: Oh, my gosh. Inform me about that. What was that like?
HUERTA: Effectively, I used to be dumbstruck. I could not discuss. I imply, once I noticed Charlie Parker, I simply began looking at him, and I could not say something. And it was a fairly awkward second as a result of I did have quite a bit that I wished to ask him about, and I could not say something. I used to be simply frozen, simply frozen.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
HUERTA: My one time – I’ve met, you recognize, President Obama, and we labored with Hillary, Invoice Clinton, many, many well-known folks. However once I met Charlie Parker, I used to be puzzled.
CONTRERAS: (Laughter).
SUMMERS: And Felix, you may hear the love and the keenness in her voice there.
CONTRERAS: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
SUMMERS: I do wish to know the way have been her jazz DJ expertise?
CONTRERAS: You realize, she undoubtedly knew her stuff, man. She truly had a pleasing jazz radio host voice. However being who she was, she sprinkled some social justice messaging together with the music. Now, right here she is reminding us of the legacy of racism in present enterprise as she cued up Lena Horne’s hit “Stormy Climate.” Now, take note, that is from 2017.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
HUERTA: As you recognize, we at the moment are in a really troublesome political period in our United States of America. We would say it is due to stormy climate. And likewise, Lena Horne was such an incredible singer and a really nice actress, however she, like lots of the Black performers of that point, have been utterly ostracized and eradicated. They did not have the profitable careers that they need to have needed to white audiences as a result of they occurred to be African American. What a loss to so many individuals.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “STORMY WEATHER”)
LENA HORNE: (Singing) So weary on a regular basis. Since he went away…
SUMMERS: I imply, that is simply completely lovely. You possibly can hear her there weaving collectively the politics of the time and historical past simply in such a seamless, clear means.
CONTRERAS: Yeah.
SUMMERS: Did she play any music from the Latin jazz world?
CONTRERAS: OK, she went utterly foundational to the delivery of Afro Cuban jazz with Dizzy Gillespie and the legendary Cuban drummer and vocalist Chano Pozo, whose life and profession was reduce quick by a taking pictures.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
HUERTA: We’ve got to think about our Latin American roots. We’ve got to think about the place our Latin music got here from. All of it got here from Africa. Everyone, let’s do not forget that. And likewise, to think about gun violence. We’ve got a lot of that in our nation, and we have to finish it. So which means now we have to be vigilant. We’ve got to know what is going on on and make it possible for we are able to type of finish the gun violence in the USA of America. So let’s hear some nice music with Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo.
(SOUNDBITE OF DIZZY GILLESPIE’S “MANTECA”)
SUMMERS: I imply, Felix, that is simply such an unimaginable alternative. I’ve to admit I am jealous. I ponder, within the time that you simply spent with Dolores Huerta, was there something that gave you perception into her as only a particular person?
HUERTA: Yeah. You realize, when she ended her visitor DJ spot, she performed a Charlie Parker monitor that wasn’t the ferociously quick music he is identified for. She performed a monitor – she performed a ballad from the “Charlie Parker With Strings” album and referenced a Latin American poet in her intro. And to me, that mirrored a facet of Dolores Huerta’s life that possibly wasn’t all that well-known, a childlike sense of awe for artwork and sweetness that appeared to gas the steely dedication and dedication that was her life’s work.
SUMMERS: You’ve got been listening to Dolores Huerta enjoying jazz DJ on the NPR Music podcast Alt.Latino. That was again in September of 2017. Host Felix Contreras introduced us these moments. Felix, it has been such a pleasure, and this should have been simply an unimaginable thrill for you.
CONTRERAS: It was an honor then, and it is an honor now. Thanks.
SUMMERS: Thanks.
Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional data.
Accuracy and availability of transcripts for NPR programming could fluctuate. Transcript textual content might also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio could also be edited after its unique broadcast or publication. The authoritative report of NPR’s programming is the audio report.
Please be aware that NPR platforms and merchandise additionally embody some programming produced by third events; NPR can’t assure transcripts for that content material and a few transcripts could also be produced utilizing automated or different instruments.
