AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of the most influential voices in the Hispanic community — and the creator of the now-ubiquitous rallying cry, “Si se puede” — continues pushing for rights, something she’s done for over six decades.
Labor and Civil Rights Activist Dolores Huerta recently stopped in Austin for a rally at the Capitol, where she led a group chant, “Si se puede! You can do it!”
It’s a simple phrase that has become a call to action at rallies, protests and political stages across the world. Huerta is credited for the rallying cry.
“Cesar Chavez was doing a 25-day water-only fast, and in Arizona, they had passed the law that farm workers, if they went on strike, they could go to jail,” Huerta said. “When I went to some of the professionals in the area to ask them to please support us, they said… ‘No, in Arizona, you cannot do this.’ My response to them was, ‘Yes, we can. Si se puede. Yes, you can!’”
KXAN’s Jala Washington sat down with her, reflecting on how a lot of her activism work today is similar to the very things she fought for all those years ago…