Most non-Spanish speakers do not
know the meaning of the phrase “Sí, se puede,”
but most people who live in the United States are familiar with President
Obama’s first presidential campaign slogan, “Yes, We Can,” which led President
Obama to become the first African American President of the United States. Not
many people know that President Obama’s slogan, “Yes, We Can” is not original with
him. His campaign team borrowed “Yes, We Can” (“Sí, se puede”
in Spanish) from the slogan of the great Latino-American farm worker, Cesar
Chavez, who, when he was in jail, became
the founding father of the national farm workers alliance. Similar to African
Americans who are rightly proud of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Latino-Americans
consider Cesar Chavez their greatest hero of the late twentieth Century.
“Sí, se puede,”
or “Yes, we can” is also the motivational phrase that educators use to encourage
students to keep trying. Thus, in San Jose, California, first and second graders
from Cesar Chavez Elementary School, wear a crown on their heads with the
words, “Sí, se puede” as they walk to the Mexican
Heritage center to celebrate the great man’s birthday. This walk commemorates
Cesar Chavez, a poor Latino American farmer who worked hard to help organize
Latino American fruit pickers. The students’ crowns remind them that they should
not deny their heritage or culture, nor do they need to do big things to make
their actions meaningful. At their age, all they can do is work hard to fulfill
their duties as students.
Although San Antonio and FUCHA
schools are located next to this cultural heritage landmark, Cesar Chavez
Elementary School’s students are the first to enter the Plaza. Shortly after
they arrive, other students from the Alum Rock School District come and begin
to fill the empty spaces. When the last students arrive, there are no empty spaces
remaining in the Plaza. The Principal of Cesar Chavez School, Mr. Sanchez, opens
the ceremony with a few words about Cesar Chavez, the great man whose non-violent
strategy was instrumental in dealing successfully with different people holding
different points of view. “Non violence” and “Yes We Can” are also the mottos
in Cesar Chavez Elementary School. Teachers help students learn to control
their anger, learn to express disagreement with gentle words, and learn to walk
away when conflict seems imminent. These skills allow problems to be solved
peacefully. Practicing non-violence helps individuals control themselves, and remembering
the words “Yes We Can,” gives students and teacher a sense of power over their
own destinies as they learn.
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s famous
lines from his 1963 speech, “I have a dream...” are known around the world, and
his words encouraged people in this country and around the world to share his
vision of ethnic equality, pride, and peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, not so
many people know about Cesar Chavez’s leadership in forming the United Farm
Workers’ Union. Cesar Chavez’s UFWU
demanded respect and benefits for farm workers laboring in California, but at
its core was, like Dr. King’s message of racial equality, it was an idea with
unstoppable momentum with benefit for all agricultural laborers: Europeans,
Asians, Africans, and white Americans. While Dr. King’s Civil Rights leadership
was a volcano shaking the world, Cesar Chavez’s championing of farm workers was
an effective groundswell coming from deep in the fertile ground of California’s
central valley. Though Chavez’s movement benefitted workers everywhere, only
California, Texas, and Arizona celebrate Cesar Chavez’s birthday. Cesar Chavez
is a role model for all ethnic immigrants and working people; his life’s story
is motivation for them to pursue their dreams with the phrase, “Yes We Can,” in
their hearts.
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