'There's No Such Thing As Can't:' Interview with Dolores Huerta

Community organizer Dolores Huerta is tireless. The 78-year-old's grassroots work never ends -- from arranging to have sidewalks installed in a neglected neighborhood to lobbying President Obama to pass the Lily Ledbetter Act to prevent pay discrimination against women.

Huerta began her work as an activist in the 1950s, just as the Civil Rights Movement was taking shape under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. This month, Huerta will deliver Duke's annual keynote at Duke Chapel in commemoration of King. The event will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17. (A live webcast is available at http://www.chapel.duke.edu/media.html.)

Huerta sees echoes of her activism in King, who influenced her work. As a young woman, she left the teaching profession to pursue activism because she "couldn't stand seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes." She thought she could do more by organizing California's farm workers than by trying to teach their hungry children.

Huerta worked alongside Cesar Chavez to improve working conditions, tackling issues such as toxic pesticides, fair and equitable pay, sexual harassment and health care. Together, they launched the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. It later became the United Farm Workers (U.F.W.).

In 1965 the organization confronted the corporate grape industry, and Huerta coined the term, "si, se puede," or "yes, we can," which Obama adopted during his historic campaign for president.

Just before the holiday break, Huerta spoke with Camille Jackson of the Duke Office of News & Communications.

This year, Duke's Martin Luther King Jr. committee chose the theme "Where do we go from here?: Overcoming Inequity and Building Community." What message do you have for young people who want to enter a life of social service?

There's so much to do. We don't have a shortage of issues: the environment, economic justice, workers rights, women's issues, education. The dismantling of our public school system is a disaster. All of these things are in such bad shape.

But the main thing is for them to get involved and to know they can make a difference. You can choose your issue, but whatever you're involved in you can make a difference. Also, the fact that you have an education makes it more obligatory for you to do something. I am satisfied that the movement will continue in good hands.

By some accounts, North Carolina has the fastest-growing population of Latinos in the country. What message do you have for them as they settle in Durham and the surrounding area?

People have to show them how to organize and connect with the African-American community because they are already established. It's important for them to reach out for help and get educated about the Civil Rights Movement because the immigration movement is just an extension of the larger movement.

When I was last in North Carolina working on Obama's election campaign, I visited the cultural center for the Latino community. There were all these beautiful services but not many people participating. Recent immigrants often don't know the struggle, or understand what it took to get where we are at. It's important to educate the Latino community about our common struggle with other minority groups because there are forces that are trying to make a division between us.

Can you describe how Dr. King influenced the farm worker movement and the connections between what you were doing out West and what was going on with race relations in the South?

They were simultaneous movements. Our connections were mostly through mail and telephone. He and Cesar conversed often on the phone, and I didn't have a chance to meet him. When Coretta (Scott King, MLK's widow) was working for the national holiday we did a lot of work for her. We traveled together and did the circuit together.

How important was your rallying cry, si se puede, in galvanizing workers? What do you think about Obama adopting it for his campaign?

‘Si se puede' is used all over the word. The U.F.W. has a copyright on it.The way that happened -- we were at a campaign in Arizona. Cesar was fasting and the state government had passed a law that said it was illegal for farm workers to organize. They said, "no se puede. You can do that in California, but you can't do that in Arizona."

I had such a spontaneous response. I said, "si, se puede," yes, we can. There's no such thing as can't. When I made my report that evening, people jumped up and began to chant it.

Later, when I met the president, he said, "I stole your slogan." But they use it all over the world -- in Mexico, Central America.