Delores Huerta is certainly no stranger to the "Si Se Puede" chant, which means "Yes We Can" in English and became a rallying cry for the United Farm Workers, a union she co-founded with the late Cesar Chavez.
Now Huerta is saying "Claro Que Se Puede" — or "Of Course We Can" in English. And she's saying it about efforts to overturn a recently passed law that gives law-enforcement officers in Arizona the right to detain and arrest anyone they suspect of being in the U.S. illegally.
Huerta recently gave the "Claro Que Se Peude" cry alongside members of Maná, a pop-rock band that's based in Mexico and has won international fame. The members of the group sang some pop-rock background as Huerta recited a poem titled "Claro Que Se Puede."
The hope, they said, is to create an anthem for those who feel overwhelmed by the measure in Arizona.
Maná members Jose Fernando "Fher" Olvera, Alex Gonzalez and Sam recently reached an agreement with Huerta and Alberto Kreimerman, who heads the Dolores Huerta Foundation and the Hermes Music Foundation, respectively.
Kreimerman, the project leader, says that Carlos Santana and Willie Nelson will also participate in the song, which is based on a melody that's already been recorded in a regional-Mexican version, with the voices of Ramon Ayala, the bands Intocable and Los Cardenales de Nuevo Leon. El Tri, another Mexico-based band, is expected to record a pure rock version.
"We're supporting the project because once again our Latino community is suffering the brunt of humiliating, unfair and regressive laws, like the one in Arizona," said Olvera. "The idea is to include the rock, pop rock, and regional-Mexican versions with the participation of several artists on one CD, and sell that CD to raise funds for the two foundations that are helping immigrants."
Olvera added that "Claro Que Se Puede" will be part of an entire disk called Proyecto de Amor / Love Project, in which other celebrities also participate, including Mario Domm, Chabelo, Dulce, Reyli and Tatiana.
Nora Alicia Estrada is a writer for Impulso.
Photos from Impulso.
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