"Sí, se puede" ( Spanish for "Yes, you can"; ) is the motto of the United Farm Workers of America, and has since been taken up by other activist groups. UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta created the phrase in 1972 during César Chávez's 25-day fast in Phoenix, Arizona. "Sí se puede" has long been a UFW guiding principle that has inspired the accomplishment of goals. The phrase is a federally registered trademark of the UFW. It has been widely adopted by other labor unions and civil rights organizations, and drew widespread political and media attention as a rallying cry during the U.S. immigration reform protests."The earth is shaking as immigrants rise up around the country with their voices singing "Sí se puede"—Yes, we can. This uprising is in the best tradition of the American Dream and the civil rights struggle for freedom." The slogan has also been used in other countries, such as Spain and Venezuela.

English translation

"Sí se puede" is usually translated in English as "It can be done", or "Yes you can". The more literal translation that the United Farm Workers uses is "Yes, it can be done!"

Other uses

The slogan is featured extensively in the 2002 Disney Channel film '' Gotta Kick It Up!'' President Barack Obama adopted the English version "Yes, we can!" first during the Democratic Party of Illinois primaries leading up to 2004 Illinois elections to the US Senate, and it became a slogan of his 2008 presidential campaign. "Yes, we can!" was the theme of Senator Obama's speech following his second-place finish in the 2008 New Hampshire primary. The phrase was also used in the song " Yes We Can", which was performed by numerous celebrities in support of Obama. (Huerta endorsed Hillary Clinton in her campaign for the Democratic nomination for presidency in 2007.) "Sí, se puede!" is the name of the 6th Episode in the 3rd Season of

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

's TV Series ''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

''. "¡Sí, se puede!" was a slogan used by Spanish left wing anti-austerity party,

Unidas Podemos Unidas Podemos (), formerly called Unidos Podemos () and also known in English as United We Can, is a democratic socialist electoral alliance formed by Podemos, United Left, and other left-wing to far-left parties in May to contest the 2016 Spa ...

in the buildup to the

2019 Spanish general election There were two general elections in Spain in 2019: 2019 Spanish general election may refer to: * April 2019 Spanish general election, to elect the 13th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain * November 2019 Spanish general election, to elect the 1 ...

held on 28 April 2019. "¡Sí, se puede!" "yes we can" became the slogan and rallying cry of Juan Guaidó during the

2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis is an ongoing political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela; the office of the president has been contested since 10 January 2019, with the Responses to the Venezuelan p ...

. During the Israeli legislative election campaign of 2009, Shas used a Hebrew language version of the slogan: "כן. אנחנו יכולים" (''ken, anakhnu yekholim''). The slogan is referenced in the 2023 film '' Barbie'' (which, coincidentally, stars America Ferrera, who was also in ''Gotta Kick it Up!'').

AeroMexico's trademark application

After AeroMexico, a Mexican airline, had filed a trademark application for "Sí se puede" with the US Trademark Office, lawyers for the United Farm Workers defended the phrase as the intellectual property of the UFW. After litigation, AeroMexico agreed not to use the phrase and abandoned its trademark application.

References

External links

"Si Se Puede Cambiar"
video on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Si se puede History of Mexican Americans Political catchphrases Spanish words and phrases United Farm Workers Cesar Chavez Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign 1972 quotations Dolores Huerta