César Chávez urged the farm laborers of America to proclaim, “Sí 
se puede—Yes, we can!” An indefatigable speaker, writer, and 
organizer, Chávez developed a well-thought-out approach to his 
rhetorical discourse and placed his speaking and writing at the very 
center of his career. By merging thought and character in his 
themes, arguments, and explanations, he identified with the 
character of his listeners.

    Award-winning scholars John C. Hammerback and Richard J. 
Jensen offer a thorough examination of how Chávez developed his 
speeches and writings to further his agenda for union activism. 
They analyze his world view, the rhetorical approaches he took, 
and many of his own texts, showing that although born into one of 
the least powerful segments of American society, Chávez led the 
farm-labor movement to unprecedented heights.

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JOHN C. HAMMERBACK is a professor of speech communications 
living in Redmond, Washington. RICHARD J. JENSEN is a 
professor living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together they also 
co-edited the anthology The Words of César Chávez, published by 
Texas A&M University Press in 2002.


What people are saying about this book

“. . . provocative . . . [the authors] know the man, the movement, the 
epoch, and they know it in their bones. If we ever develop a canon, 
this volume will have a place in it.”—Rhetoric Review