Dolores Huerta speaks during the twenty-fifth annual César Chávez Day Fiesta in Albuquerque. Photo by Stephanie Cameron.
together, when they fire the woman, they won’t just fire just her but they will fire the whole family.” Huerta’s work with the United Farm Workers Union was historic in its effectiveness at improving the wages and working conditions of farmworkers, as well as raising the consciousness of American consumers. Many people think unions aim simply to improve wages, but they are also vehicles to make workplaces safer and to provide recourse for abuse. The movement Huerta helped create continues in its efforts to create dignity and justice for the people we rely on for the food we eat. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a worker-based human rights organization in Florida, is recognized for its achievements ending gender-based violence in the agricultural industry. Their Fair Food Program is a unique partnership among farmers, farmworkers, and retail food companies. Like the United Farm Workers Union, the program works to ensure fair wages and working conditions for the workers who pick fruits and vegetables on participating farms. The producer of the PBS Frontline documentary, Rape in the Fields, described the Fair Food Program as “unique in the country for preventing sexual violence.” Since 2011, they have resolved more than 1,800 complaints by workers. 66
edible Santa Fe | EARLY SUMMER 2018
Regionally, some wonderful organizations support farmworker women. One is the Border Farm Worker Center in El Paso, which provides New Mexico and Texas farmworkers with services including a medical clinic, showers, food, English classes, arts programs, and recreation for both children and adults. The center is open seven days a week from 4pm to 6am, offering an alternative to sleeping outside on a piece of cardboard, as many farmworkers in the area did before it opened in 1993. The center also educates workers about their right to a fair wage and safe work environment. Alicia Marentes, the center’s director of social services, helps women farmworkers document complaints of sexual misconduct. This work and education is crucial if we are to break the silence and cycle of sexual violence perpetrated against this vulnerable population. When farmworkers organize and consumers support them, change can happen. If you’d like to support local farmworker women, consider donating to the the Border Farm Worker Center. Donate online at www.paypal.me/centrosinfronteras or send donations to Border Agricultural Workers Project, 201 East Ninth Avenue, El Paso, TX, 79901.