Remarks by Arturo S. Rodriguez, President
United Farm Workers of America
Introducing President Obama
Cesar E. Chavez National Monument Observance
October 8, 2012—La Paz, Keene, Calif.
Muy buenos dias, hermanas y hermanos. Good morning, sisters and brothers. Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede!
For Cesar, Si Se Puede wasn’t just a slogan.
Our gratitude goes to all of you who sacrificed to join us this morning: Farm workers and supporters from 25 states. Many of you travelled all night to be here—demonstrating your depth of affection and commitment to the farm worker movement.
Many milestones of that movement took place on these grounds where giants walked. Some of those giants—like Cesar Chavez—are well known; but we know that the names of countless others are mostly lost to history.
So we acknowledge this National Monument in the spirit of honoring Cesar Chavez as well as the thousands of farm workers, Latinos and many others who gave themselves to the cause.
Cesar said that if the movement didn’t survive his death then his work would have been in vain. So this National Monument also affirms the men and women in our movement who labor daily to keep Cesar’s work alive…
…by building affordable housing—Si Se Puede!...
…by running educational Spanish-language radio stations—Si Se Puede!…
…by organizing farm workers and negotiating union contracts—Si Se Puede!
Cesar believed in Si Se Puede! He believed in us. He believed that no matter how humble our homes, how old our cars, how little we have, each of us, each of you, each farm worker can change the world. Si Se Puede!
* * *
Our movement knows only too well that we live in a world where too many people with power use it to say “no.”
Four years ago President Obama took Cesar’s belief in “Si Se Puede!” and made a nation believe in “Yes We Can!”
And when he was elected, the President used his power to say yes.
Yes we can have two Latino cabinet secretaries who are lifelong champions of Latino and farm worker rights: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Yes we can have the first Latina Supreme Court justice: Sonia Sotomayor.
Yes we can ensure relief from fear of deportation for thousands of young immigrants who grew up in this nation and are American in every way.
Yes we can create a National Monument that will be a source of pride for all Americans who care about social justice. And by showing how one Latino farm worker changed America, yes we can encourage millions of other Latinos and farm workers to fulfill their hopes and aspirations—especially the hundreds of students who are here today.
Please join me in welcoming—por favor ayudame en recibir—the
President of the United States, Barack Obama.
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