Cultural Center Groundbreaking

On a sunny Saturday in June, hundreds joined us for the groundbreaking of the Dolores Huerta Peace & Justice Cultural Center, soon to become DHF’s permanent home in the Central Valley. Community leaders, youth organizers, elected officials, and longtime supporters—including Supervisor Leticia Perez and Senator Anna Caballero—stood alongside Dolores herself as construction officially began.

Featuring $15 million from the California Legislature and an additional $7 million to cover rising costs, this $34.8 million project will open in early 2027. Once complete, the Center will house DHF’s offices, a youth organizing academy, a multicultural gathering hall, a credit union, and public meeting spaces—all designed to empower local voices.

Dolores Huerta reminded attendees of the importance of the space ahead of us:

“We have to have an organizing academy where we can train people how to become organizers… They are the ones that are going to guide us forward.”

And Camila Chávez, DHF’s Executive Director, emphasized the symbolic weight of this project:

“At a time when the Latino community, our immigrant community, women, and LGBTQ+ communities are under attack… this center stands as a symbol of hope, of resistance. We are still here and we aren’t going anywhere.”

After a land acknowledgment and youth speaker insights, Cordoba Corporation and local officials helped break the ceremonial ground, marking the start of a new chapter for Bakersfield and beyond