She served as Vice President and played a critical role in many of the union’s accomplishments for four decades. She was the first Latina inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, in 1993. In 2002, she received the Puffin/Nation $100,000 prize for Creative Citizenship which she used to establish the Dolores Huerta Foundation (DHF). She has received numerous awards: among them The Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998. In 2012 President Obama bestowed Dolores with The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. For more information, visit “About Dolores Huerta”.
During Cesar Chavez’s 25-day fast in 1972 in Phoenix, Arizona, UFW’s co-founder Dolores Huerta used the slogan “!Sí, se puede!” (Yes, we can!) The workers felt that what was possible in California couldn’t be done in Arizona. Dolores responded with “Si Se Puede en Arizona” Since then this has been an influential rally cry and guiding principle that has served to inspire. The phrase is a federally registered trademark of the UFW. The phrase has been widely adopted by other movements and campaigns. It even made its way to the White House. President Obama thanked Dolores for letting him borrow his campaign slogan “Yes We Can!”.