Today we celebrate the birthday and legacy of Cesar Chavez, whose prayerful activism inspires us in our own ministry and ripples through our local communities.

Tomorrow morning, chants of Sí Se Puede!* will ring out along the streets of North Denver and in Cesar Chavez Park. As a phrase born out of fasting and prayer, it energized and united exploited farmworkers across the nation. It is an affirmation of faith.

When Delores Huerta and Cesar Chavez chose Sí Se Puede in 1972 as the rallying cry for their movement, the United Farm Workers Union was gaining momentum through strikes and boycotts. How could poor field workers so successfully stand up to consumer demand for artificially cheap produce, profiteering, and embedded racism throughout much of agribusiness—and demand rights? They embodied a strange sort of power and leadership, “from below.” It’s a Moses-like story: a declaration of freedom for captives, mobilization of slaves, and an unshakable trust in God’s presence not only in the waiting but also in the wading into the sea, into the unknown.

Chavez and his fellow organizers pressed into the painful, risky, and sacrificial struggle. He led “spiritual fasts”—at one point nearly starving to death after 25 days. He led a 340-mile march to Sacramento in grueling heat, carrying the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe—a sacred symbol of motherly devotion, divine intervention, and holy pilgrimage.

Such faith-filled actions inspire and invite us into the power of a humble, vulnerable God as we face injustice today. Our loving struggle for shalom can only be sustained with such a combination of deep spirituality and courageous action.

*Sí Se Puede is most commonly translated as “Yes we can!” However, the Spanish language offers a unique ability to suggest something beyond “We can” or “you can” or “I can”—rather, it allows for a universal phrasing and could be translated as “it can be done” or “it will be.”

Adapted from Mile High Ministries’ beautifully illustrated book Beyond Our Efforts: A Celebration of Denver Peacemaking (this piece by Rebecca Mendoza Nunziato is on p. 92). Come by MHM for a FREE copy.