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Dear Colleagues,
You might know the battle cry of the United Farm Workers: “Sí, se puede!” meaning “Yes, we can!” But you might not know that Dolores Huerta came up with the phrase that served as a refrain in Barack Obama’s victory speech after becoming our nation’s president in 2008. Four years later, Obama presented Huerta with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions as a community activist, labor leader and cofounder of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez. And March is a perfect time to remember her achievements since it’s when we mark both Women’s History Month and Cesar Chavez Day.
Huerta joined Chavez’s fight for Latino farm workers’ rights in 1962, after working as an elementary school teacher for the children of migrant workers in California. “I quit,” she recalled, “because I couldn’t stand seeing kids come to class hungry and needing shoes. I thought I could do more by organizing farm workers than by trying to teach their hungry children.” And she went on to devote herself to the fight for social justice by forming a union of migrant workers. Her work took her across the state as she recruited members in their homes and in the fields, and it was a challenge, as she wrote in her letters to Chavez.
Her mission was especially hard because she had to balance it with being a single mom of 11 children. But Huerta didn’t consider herself unique. “I think that's something that all mothers have to deal with, especially single mothers,” as she explained. “We work, and we have to leave the kids behind. And I think that’s one of the reasons that we, not only as women but as families, we have to advocate for early childhood education for all our children.”
The Council has also supported early learning for all children since our founding 40 years ago, and Vilma Williams, our senior manager of multilingual and special programs, has been here from the start, as you’ll see in this edition. During her time at the Council, Vilma has played a key role as we broadened the CDA® beyond a center-based credential in English to include a home visitor specialization, family child care credential and bilingual CDA in English and Spanish. Her commitment to quality early learning has also taken her around the globe to spread the reach of the CDA. And wherever she goes, Vilma feels that “I’m doing God’s work since I’m making a difference in the lives of teachers and children.”
Like Vilma, Isabel Blair strives to serve young learners, and she’s one of many Latinas who’ve launched their careers in our field by earning a bilingual CDA. She’s now the owner of Mi Casa es su Casa Bilingual Family Daycare in Byron Center, Michigan, where she honors her Mexican background every day. “We do circle time, read books and play games in both English and Spanish,” as she tells us this month. “I cook Mexican food since this is another part of my culture that I can bring into the classroom. I have bilingual staff to assist me, and I support them in earning their CDA, so they know how to provide quality early learning.”
This requires “an education of the heart,” as Cesar Chavez explained. He didn’t believe that real education can be imparted through books alone. “It can only be imparted through the loving touch of a teacher.” And the teachers in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start are providing it, as Dr. Moore tells us in his latest blog. The program provides a crucial service since many migrant families need to make hard choices about child care like leaving children in the care of an older sibling, leaving them alone in a car or bringing them to work where they’re exposed to pesticides, heavy equipment and searing heat.
So, Migrant Head Start teachers strive to provide a safe space where children can reach their promise, something the Council thinks every child deserves. We envision a society where all children learn and thrive in environments led by competent, valued early childhood educators. And we will fulfill our vision with your continued support. Like Dolores Huerta, we’re convinced that yes, we can do it.
Happy Cesar Chavez Day and Women’s History Month,
The Council for Professional Recognition
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