As a prominent labour organiser, Chavez helped lead a major strike against Delano grape growers in the 1960s, which sparked boycotts across the country, in order to gain better wages and conditions for workers. His mantra, “si, se puede” – which means “yes, we can” in Spanish – has been adopted by activists and politicians who came after him, and was even used by Barack Obama’s presidential campaign during his first run for office.