In 1972, civil rights activist Dolores Huerta inspired members of the United Farm Workers union to chant “Si, se puede,” or “Yes, we can.”
Five decades later, her famous slogan is now being used to empower a new generation.
Students and staff from the Orange County Department of Education’s Alternative Education division were joined by Huerta for a virtual sit-down during Women’s History Month as part of the Careers Without Borders speaker series.
The program, created by OCDE’s Alternative, Community and Correctional Educational Schools — also known as ACCESS — invites prominent figures to highlight different career opportunities and help students build confidence in their personal and academic pursuits.
OCDE’s Dr. Nathan Goodly, the special education coordinator for ACCESS, and Dennis Cole, director of district partnerships and operations, moderated the interview and shed light on Huerta’s humble beginnings growing up in Stockton, California to her accomplishments as an advocate for agricultural workers’ rights.
Before becoming a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient in 2011, Huerta developed a passion for political activism from a young age and began her career in teaching. After witnessing children often come to school hungry, Huerta co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, which conducted voter registration drives and lobbied for equal rights for people of Hispanic or Latino descent.
After Huerta founded the National Farm Workers Association alongside activist Cesar Chavez, the two joined forces with other organizers to form the United Farm Workers of America, the nation’s first and largest farm workers’ union. In addition to advocating for safer working conditions and unemployment benefits for agricultural workers, Huerta was instrumental in the 1965 strike of 5,000 Delano grape workers and led negotiations on thousands of labor contracts to garner better wages for all farmworkers.
While she has received many accolades for blazing her own trail, Huerta wanted to remind staff and students that they have the ability to get involved in civil action and make a difference.
“My work is about empowering people so they know that they can take these positions of power,” Huerta said. Throughout her conversation with Dr. Goodly and Cole, the National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee emphasized the importance of pursuing education and becoming civically engaged to speak up against injustice.
Since departing from the United Farm Workers in 2000, Huerta has led her namesake nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people from marginalized communities to get involved through programs on educational equity, grassroots organizing, youth engagement and more.
“I am delighted that the students of OCDE were able to have this learning opportunity,” Dr. Goodly said. “I hope this experience inspires them throughout their lives and gives them the necessary courage to use their voices to help influence change.”
Before giving her final remarks to staff and students, Huerta led everyone in getting out of their seats and chanting “Si, se puede,” as a reminder that they possess the power to create lasting change in their communities.
Learn more about OCDE’s Careers Without Border series and watch past guest speaker interviews at the Careers Without Borders website.