Dolores Huerta ends her silence, champions decades of advocacy for marginalized groups

Dolores Huerta has dedicated her life to breaking down barriers and cemented her place in history as one of the nation’s most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It was Dolores Huerta who coined the slogan “Si, se puede” in 1972 when bringing together farmworkers in Arizona to fight a law that prohibited boycotts and strikes.

Told it would be impossible to organize in the Southwestern state, her three-word Spanish-language response — which translates as “Yes, it can be done” — was simple, defiant and emblematic. Huerta's resolve cemented her place in history as one of the nation's most influential labor leaders, civil rights icons and feminist activists.

Former President Barack Obama would later credit her for the phrase that was a rallying cry in his 2008 campaign in a slightly modified translation, “Yes, we can.”

As co-founder of what eventually became the United Farm Workers union, Huerta has been the face of a movement that for decades aimed to empower the lives of workers through higher wages, health benefits, pensions and improved safety.

At nearly 96, she still uses her platform to advocate for marginalized groups and fight discrimination.