FWAF News and Events

Farmworker Awareness Week is a Growing Nationwide Event - Organize an Activity in Your Area

2009-03-02T14:39:00.001-08:00

March 29 through April 4th has been designated as national Farmworker Awareness Week. Groups around the country are organizing events, actions, programs, and activities on campuses, in churches, in their communities, and in front of businesses to call for changes in the way our country and the agricultural industry treat farmworkers. The purpose of this week of action is to bring attention to the issues and injustices affecting our country's hard working agricultural laborers. Advocates, religious leaders, student organizations, labor activists, consumer groups and environmental health professionals will unite during this week to recognize the many contributions of agricultural workers to our economy and to our society.

For the fourth year in a row, the Farmworker Association of Florida is one of the sponsoring organizations of Farmworker Awareness Week. Along with sixteen other sponsoring organizations that are planning rallies, marches, petition drives, film screenings and other events throughout the week, FWAF is working with student groups in high schools and colleges in Florida in raising awareness about the realities of farmworkers. Many of these actions are scheduled to coincide with the March 31st birthday of the late Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America and historic figure in the farmworker movement. People in 28 states are calling for the federal government to create a national holiday in honor of the iconic leader Chavez and of farmworkers. The purpose of the week is to inform the public and highlight ongoing campaigns for the improvement of farmworkers' living and working conditions.

From a blood drive in honor of Cesar Chavez at the University of South Florida; to film showings by students at Rollins, USF and area high schools; to drives for long-sleeve shirts to protect farmworkers from pesticide exposure, groups are getting interested, getting involved, and taking action in Florida. If you are interested in organizing something at your school, church, club, or in your community, contact Jeannie at FWAF at 407-886-5151 or email at farmworkerassoc@aol.com.

Help to raise awareness that WE ARE ALL CONNECTED TO FARMWORKERS everyday. Anyone who eats (and, who doesn't?) has some connection to farmworkers, because WE ALL CONSUME FOOD. Most of that food was planted and harvested by farmworkers, yet they remain largely invisible to the public at large and continue to live and work in unacceptable conditions. Farm work is the third most dangerous job in the U.S., yet the people who plant and harvest our fruits and vegetables lack many of the basic worker protections that most of us take for granted. Things like overtime, unemployment insurance, even protection when joining a union are not guaranteed under federal law.

Each year, Farmworker Awareness Week is called by Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) in collaboration with Student Labor Action Project’s Student Labor Week of Action. Please join us in raising awareness about the struggles of America's most hardworking people. For more information about events in your area, visit www.farmworkerawareness.org.

Yes, we can! Si se puede!

Migrants and Homeless Receive Free Health Care at FWAF Apopka Office

2009-02-06T16:16:00.000-08:00

Hard hit by the growing economic crisis, migrant farmworkers are struggling to survive. Even in better times, access to affordable health care was out of reach for many agricultural workers and their family members. That is why the Farmworker Association of Florida is especially excited to be able to offer free medical care once a month to migrants, the homeless and people in transitional housing at our office in Apopka. Through arrangements with the Health Care Center for the Homeless, based in Orlando, the FWAF Apopka office parking lot hosts a Mobile Medical Van on the first Friday of each month that delivers free medical exams, written referrals and low-cost prescriptions to folks who fall through the cracks in the nation's health care system. In just its first six months last year, the MMV saw 112 patients in Apopka. Already this year, the total is 35 patients in just two days - once in January and one time in February. The days and months ahead are projected to be very busy, as the "trickle down" - or "downpour" - economic collapse affects the nation's most vulnerable residents. Homelessness, already a problem in the area, is on the rise, as home foreclosures, job losses, shortened work weeks, teetering nursery operations, and increasing food prices make it harder for families to meet their weekly expenses. Though recognizing that this is just a band-aid to a wound that the nation, as a whole must come together to fix, FWAF is grateful to the HCCH and the staff of the Mobile Medical Van for their passion and compassion to help the community.

International Migrants Day - December 18th - FWAF Thanks Rollins College Students

2008-12-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

December 18th was International Migrants Day. For many, the day came and went without their having even been aware of it. Not so of a class of students from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, who used the occasion as an opportunity for a learning experience and a service project at the same time.

A class of media students, under the direction of professor Kristin Shamas, partnered with the Farmworker Association of Florida to create four different stories that were aired on Rollins' radio station, WPRK, on December 18th and that were, also, submitted to the National Radio Project to be accessible nationwide on Radio1812. Working with FWAF, the students conducted oral interviews - some face to face, others by phone - with staff and community members to learn more about the issues facing immigrants in our country and, more specifically, right here in their own communities.

Interviewing FWAF's own Haitian staff members, Luckner Millien and Pascale Vincent, the students focused one of their projects on the status of Haitians in the U.S., who are not afforded Temporary Protective Status (TPS), as are persons from other troubled countries in our hemisphere. Speaking from their personal experiences, Luckner and Pascale discussed the troubling discrimination that Haitians experience and how they hope that this will change under a new administration. Haiti has undergone so many struggles and tragedies over the last few decades. Through greater awareness of the plight of Haitians, the students hope that the future will be brighter for the residents of this neighboring island nation.

FWAF's General Coordinator, Tirso Moreno, spoke to the students about the practice of racial profiling of immigrants that is happening in our area and around the state. Fear of raids and detentions, the pain of separation of families through deportations, and having to live "in the shadows" are realities for many hardworking immigrant men, women and children. This is especially harmful when the very people who community members should be able to trust to help them if they are threatened - the local law enforcement officers - are the very ones that they now have to be afraid of. The students learned the leadership role that FWAF is taking in working to protect the basic rights and dignity of immigrants in combating these destructive practices.

H2A or "guestworkers" was a new term for the students working on this segment. Speaking with FWAF organizer Yolanda Gomez and with attorney Greg Schell of the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project, the students created a piece that highlighted the hardships created for farmworkers when growers by-pass workers already in the U.S. by requesting workers from other countries to work in their fields. Besides depressing wages for all agricultural workers, the guestworker program has many flaws, one of which is that foreign workers are less likely to know their rights and protections and more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Bush Administration has just signed an even more harmful guestworker policy that FWAF will be working to overturn under the incoming administration.

For their fourth piece, the students talked with other students. Working with the Youth Group of the Hope CommUnity Center of the Office for Farmworker Ministry, the college students had face to face and in-depth discussions with middle and high school immigrant students to hear first hand the hardships, difficulties, sorrows and joys of being a foreign-born student living, studying and growing up in the United States. Their closeness in age and their similar, yet, vastly different experiences made this one of the most personal encounters for the Rollins students and one that had deep resonance for them. Under Youth Group director, Nilka Melendez, the immigrant youth have learned to honor and respect their lives and experiences and to gain self-confidence and self-esteem. More than just interviews, the session between the students became a very personal and enhancing experience.

FWAF wants to thank Rollins College, Kristin Shamas, all the Rollins students, the Hope CommUnity Center and our staff and community members who participated in this excellent project. And, next year, International Migrants Day will not go by unnoticed by those who were touched by this experience.

60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2008-12-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

December 10, 2008 is the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In recognition of this important day, the Homestead office of the Farmworker Association of Florida participated with other organizations in South Florida in a press conference to call attention to the need for a commitment to upholding the inalienable human rights of people in our own communities. With members of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Miami Workers Center, Haitian Women of Miami and other organizations, the groups called upon the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Commissioners to commit to abide by the principles and ideals of the UDHR and to promote human rights for all who live, work, and play in Miami-Dade County as central to their mission, purpose and values. Elvira Carvajal, FWAF coordinator of the Homestead area office, represented FWAF in presenting a Proclamation to the Mayor and Commissioners.

"Our farmworkers in Homestead harvest the food that feeds our community and our nation. Yet, they are often denied their basic human rights. On this, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, farmworkers should no longer be the "invisible one," said Elvira Carvajal. "We assert and recognize the basic human dignity of these hardworking families that are an integral part of our society."

In the preamble to the Declaration, the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed "this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction."

"Our great nation is the best in the world because of the contributions and sacrifices of immigrants around the world, yet every day, our government commits gross human rights violations again them," said Marleine Bastien of Haitian Women of Miami, Inc. "Immigrants' rights are human rights; upholding and preserving these rights makes us better as a nation and gives us the moral compass to be the example for countries around the world to follow."

The United States played a pivotal role, 60 years ago, in the creation of the UDHR. It is time for communities around the country to ensure that they are honored and upheld at every level of government and that we all live up to the ideals and principles in the UDHR.

Farmworker Association of Florida Becomes Member of La Via Campesina: Delegates Represent the Organization at International Meeting in Africa

2008-10-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Elvira Carvajal, Homestead Area Coordinator of FWAF, and Cristina Gomez, Youth Leader from the area of Fellsmere, flew to Africa as delegates to represent the Farmworker Association of Florida at the international conference of La Via Campesina. The Association is one of only two farmworker organizations in the United States that have currently applied to be and have been accepted as members of La Via Campesina. It was an honor and a privelege, not to mention an unforgettable experience of a lifetime, for both Elvira and Cristina.

Held in Maputo, Mozamibique from October 16 - 23, 2008, the 5th International Conference of this international farmers movement was a gathering of some 800 men, women and youth farmer leaders from more than 70 countries, at a time when the food crisis is at the top of the global agenda. The event started with the Rural Youth Assembly on October 16, while the world celebrated World Food Day. This was followed by the international Women's Assembly, after which was the official start of the conference. The president of Mozambique, Mr.Armando Emilio Guebuza, welcomed everyone to the gathering at the inauguration of the Conference.

La Via Campesina offers a real vision and proven solutions to address the current food crisis. More than ever, small farmers around the world are struggling for their very survival. The crisis in the agricultural sector, along with the current financial crisis, the unprecedented climate and environmental crises, the energy crisis and a profound and global social crisis are all the symptoms of the failure of the same model, the neoliberal model under which the whole society is organized around profitmaking. Since its creation 15 years ago, La Via Campesina has become the primary global network of small farmers, peasants, landless and small-scale food producers whose voice is now being heard in the international press, as well as in the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome and the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

La Via Campesina is also recognized and respected within anti-globalization networks and among other social movements that are being invited to join the Conference in Maputo. The International Conference is the major meeting of the organization, which takes place every four years, and at which most organizational and political decisions are collectively made. Delegates presented their analyses of the current situation and debated lines of action for the future.

The conference was hosted by UNAC, the National Peasants Union of Mozambique. Small producers from the South and from the North have been struggling for years to defend a model of agricultural production based on family farms and sustainable agriculture, and to oppose the industrial, export-oriented model of agriculture, which has led to the destruction of livelihoods, rural communities and the environment. The current crisis has revealed that a food system based on imported food and the so called « greenrevolution » is not reliable and in fact generates hunger and poverty. The time has now come for localized food production, sustainable and low-fossil-oil intensive agriculture and the empowerment of small farmers. For more information on La Via Campesian, to to www.viacampesina.org

Equal Voices Report in Spanish - La Campaña de Una Voz Para Familias en America

2008-10-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

“Equal Voice for America's Families Convention” en Birmingham, Alabama.
EL DIA 06 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2008 SE EFECTUO LA REUNION NACIONAL “EQUAL VOICE FOR AMERICA’S FAMILIES”. DE MANERA SIMULTANEA CON CONEXION SATELITAL ENTRE LAS TRES SEDES EN: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Y BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. ESTA ULTIMA EN EL CENTRO DE CONVENCIONES DE DICHA CIUDAD.
A CADA UNA DE LAS REUNIONES ASISTIERON UN PROMEDIO DE 5 MIL PERSONAS. EN EL CASO DE LA REUNION DE ALABAMA. HABIA DELEGACIONES DE LOS ESTADOS DE FLORIDA, GEORGIA, CAROLINA DEL NORTE, MISSISIPI, ALABAMA, LOUSIANA Y TEXAS.
LA ASOCIACION CAMPESINA DE FLORIDA Y OTRAS ORGANIZACINES DEL ESTADO DE FLORIDA SE HICIERON PRESENTES. VIAJAMOS EN CINCO AUTOBUSES SALIENDO EL DIA 05 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2008 DESDE NUESTRO LOCAL EN LA CIUDAD DE APOPKA, FLORIDA. CABE RESALTAR QUE FUE UNA CARAVANA DE AUTOBUSES MULTIETNICA. TODAS LAS RAZAS Y MUCHOS IDIOMAS DIJERON PRESENTE EN ESTA REUNION EN ALABAMA.
LA REUNION TUVO MUCHAS SORPRESAS:
LA COMPOSICION FUE DE UN 70% DE MUJERES, 40 % DE MENORES DE 25 AÑOS, 40 DE LATINOS, EL 25% DE LOS PARTICIPANTES DIJERON GANAR MENOS DE $10MIL DOLARES AL AÑO Y UN 54% DE REGISTRADOS PARA VOTAR.
CONSIDERACIONES DE LA ASAMBLEA:
NINGUNA FAMILIA DEBE DE VIVIR EN LA POBREZA
LA PROPERIDAD Y LA SEGURIDAD COMIENZA CON EL ACCESO A EL TRABAJO, EDUCACION Y SALUD.
LAS FAMILIAS DEBEN DE PARTICIPAR EN EL DISEÑO DE LAS POLITICAS GUBERNAMENTALES.
FAMILIAS SOLIDAS HACEN QUE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS SEAN SOLIDOS.
COMPROMISO DE LA ASAMBLEA
TRABAJAR POR EL CAMBIO
TRABAJO COLECTIVO PARA APOYAR A LAS FAMILIAS
ENSEÑAR VALORES A LOS NIÑOS
APOYAR A LA JUVENTUD
INFORMAR A LA COMUNIDAD DE LOS PROBLEMAS QUE ENFRENTAMOS
EXIGIR CUENTAS A LOS FUNCIONARIOS ELECTOS

PUNTOS QUE SE DESARROLLARON Y SUS CONCLUSIONES
CUIDADO INFANTIL. AUMENTAR LA OFERTA DE CENTROS DE CUIDADO Y EDUCACION INFANTIL
REFORMA DE LA JUSTICIA PENAL. CREANDO MAS OPORTUNIDADES PARA LOS PRESOS LIBERADOS. HACER MENOS COSTOSO LA ELIMINACION DE ANTECEDENTES PENALES. MANTENER A LA FAMILIA DEL PRESO. ESTABLECER EL DERECHO DE VOTO DE EXPRESOS.
EDUCACION. ENSEÑAR A LOS NIÑOS LO QUE LA SOCIEDAD NECESITA. EDUCACION BILINGUE. MAS DEPORTES, RECREACION, CLASES DE TUTORIA GRATUITA Y DE ORIGENES CULTURALES DE LOS NIÑOS.
CAPACITACION Y EMPLEO. TRAER DE REGRESO LAS MANUFACTURAS. HACER CUMPLIR LAS LEYES LABORALES ESTATALES Y FEDERALES. PROTEGER LOS INGRESOS DE LOS JUBILADOS. QUE LOS PADRES DE FAMILIA NO TENGAN QUE TENER MAS DE UN EMPLEO PARA QUE PUEDAN ESTAR CON SU FAMILIA.
ATENCION MEDICA, MENTAL Y DENTAL PARA TODOS. ATENCION MEDICA ESPECIALIZADA PARA LOS ENEVEJECIENTES. CONTROLAR LOS PRECIOS DE LA ATENCION MEDICA Y DE LAS MEDICINAS. EDUCAR A LA GENTE PARA LA NUTRICION SALUDABLE. ATENDER DE MANERA ESPECIALIZADA A LOS DISCAPACITADOS.
VIVIENDA. CONSTRUIR VIVIENDAS ECONOMICAS CON CALIDAD Y SEGURAS A LAS CATASTROFES. PRECIOS RAZONABLES DE LAS CASAS.
REFORMA DE MIGRACION. EDUCAR A TODOS LOS MIGRANTES EN SUS DERECHOS. APROBAR UNA REFORMA MIGRATORIA. FACILITAR EL PROCESO DE CIUDADANIA. CREAR UN SISTEMA DE APOYO A LOS HIJOS DE LOS DEPORTADOS. SEPARAR EL CONTROL MIGRATORIO DEL CONTROL ADUANAL Y POLICIACO. EXPEDIR LICENCIAS DE CONDUCIR PARA INDOCUMENTADOS.
COMUNIDADES PROSPERAS Y SEGURAS. CREAR ESTRATEGIAS PARA COMBATIR LA VIOLENCIA Y LAS DROGAS.
EXIGIRLE AL PROXIMO PRESIDENTE QUE ADOPTE UNA PLATAFORMA NACIONAL PARA LAS FAMILIAS.
LA CAMPAÑA NACIONAL DE VOCES UNIDAS POR LA IGUALDAD DE LAS FAMILIAS EN ESTADOS UNIDOS ESTA TRATANDO DE CAMBIAR LA FORMA EN LA QUE LOS POLITICOS ATIENDEN LAS NECESIDADES SOCIALES Y ECONOMICAS DE LAS FAMILIAS. LAS NECESIDADES DE LA FAMILIADEBEN SER ABORDADAS EN FORMA UNIVERSAL.

Grand Opening Celebration and 25th Anniversary

2008-10-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Grand Opening Celebration
and
25th Anniversary Celebration

Sunday, November 9, 2008
3:00 P.M.— 6:00 P.M.
Celebration will be at our NEW OFFICE!!
1264 Apopka Boulevard
Apopka, Florida 32703

Just a few short weeks ago, we moved from our humble storefront home for the last 18 years, to a beautiful, newly constructed and landscaped building in the heart of South Apopka. Please join us in our Grand Opening Ceremony, as we commence our work for social justice for farmworkers and immigrants from a new home.

At this time of Thanksgiving, when families are celebrating their abundance-
Let us honor the hands that provide food for our tables.

Event will include music and other performances.
and authentic ethnic food prepared by community members.

GIVE THANKS TO
FARMWORKERS

FWAF Moves Apopka Office

2008-08-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Supporters:

During this year of our 25th Anniversary celebration and commemoration, it is with great sentiment that we embark on great changes! After 18 eventful and demanding years of organizing and serving the Central Florida farmworker community from our humble storefront at 815 S. Park Avenue, we are moving our headquarters to a new building where we will continue our work for social justice for farmworkers and immigrants!!

As you can imagine, the move is a huge endeavor for the 15 staff members who work out of the main office. We will be moving to a beautiful, newly constructed and landscaped building in the heart of South Apopka, owned by Orange County. The County will lease the building to us for a nominal amount, and we will take care to maintain the integrity of the structure and the grounds. With great generosity from Florida Hospital and other supporters, we have been securing needed office furniture and making plans for our big move at the end of August. We will have great needs and we need your support too! The cost of moving and the initial expenses of transferring phone lines and equipment will take a bite out of our budget.

We have two basic needs: donations to help offset moving costs, to fill any unmet furniture needs, and to purchase green cleaning supplies; and volunteers to help with the move and with on-going projects.

Stay tuned for news of our Grand Opening, which will be scheduled for sometime in September. We invite you to visit our new office at 1264 South Apopka Boulevard in Apopka.

In solidarity,

Tirso Moreno, General Coordinator

Florida Gives a Nod to a Cancer-causing Pesticide

2008-07-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Apopka – The Farmworker Association of Florida expressed disappointment that the state’s Pesticide Registration Evaluation Committee recently decided to give the green light to a controversial new pesticide that some have claimed can cause thyroid cancer, permanent neurological damage, and birth defects, as well as potentially be a groundwater contaminant. The chemical, known as iodomethane or methyl iodide – brand name Midas and manufactured by the Japan-based company Arysta – is touted as a potential replacement for the more widely used methyl bromide, which is being phased out due to its role in the depletion of the earth’s protective ozone layer. Initially approved for use by the U.S. EPA in October of last year, Midas has been controversial, in part due to a letter written and signed by 54 of the U.S.’s top scientists who opposed the EPA’s registration of such a toxic chemical. In the letter, the scientists state, “we are concerned that pregnant women and the fetus, children, the elderly, farm workers, and other people living near application sites would be at serious risk if methyl iodide is permitted for use in agriculture…” In spite of these potential dangers, the PREC agreed to conditional registration of methyl iodide in the state of Florida.

“The best restrictions in the world are useless if they are ignored or violated,” said Tirso Moreno, General Coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida. “Our organization has talked to hundreds, even thousands, of farmworkers over the years, and our experience tells us that there are far too many cases of regulations not being followed in the fields and nurseries and of workers who are untrained being sent in to work with or around dangerous pesticides. It is just not worth the risk to the health and the lives of farmworkers and their communities to allow such a toxic chemical for any use outside of a laboratory.”

Even though the EPA approved methyl iodide for use in October, 2007, the state of Florida has their own procedure for approving of new pesticides for use in the state. On two separate occasions, the Pesticide Review Committee, a group that assesses new chemicals and then makes its recommendations to the Pesticide Registration Evaluation Committee, listened to comments from farmworker, organic grower and environmental advocacy groups around the state who oppose the use of methyl iodide in Florida, and whose comments included the fact that Florida’s unique soil conditions make it susceptible to groundwater contamination from this pesticide. After an extensive review process, however, described as one of the most intense ever for the PREC and one in which the committee devised Florida-specific conditions and restrictions on the use of methyl iodide in the state, the committee did give the green light to Arysta to begin selling their product in Florida.

“We are disappointed, but, frankly, not surprised,” said Jeannie Economos, Pesticide Health and Safety Project Coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida. Because of his strong environmental voting record and because of the threats we feel this could pose to our state and our communities, we have brought this to the attention of Senator Bill Nelson. We are hoping that he will take a closer look at this. Though we appreciate the work and the time that the PREC put into this process, we do not agree with their decision.”

“BABY, I LOVE YOU!” – IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING “HOPE”

2008-07-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

“BABY, I LOVE YOU!” – IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING “HOPE”
FOR FARMWORKER WOMEN AND THEIR BABIES

“Baby, I Love You!” - “Bebe, Te Amo!” is an exciting new program that the Farmworker Association of Florida has launched in order to serve farmworker and other low-income, at-risk women and their families in the Fellsmere, Homestead and Immokalee areas of Florida. With a community grant from the March of Dimes, FWAF has hired and trained three new dedicated former farmworker women to become “promotoras,” - or community health educators - to conduct outreach and education with women in rural agricultural areas in our state. The purpose of the program expands and extends the work of the FWAF Sisters/Compañeras Program in Apopka, whose purpose is to provide education, information, peer support and referral service to at-risk pregnant and post-partum farmworker and rural poor women to ensure their prenatal health and improve their birth outcomes. The health educators, who participated in an intensive three-day training in preparation for their outreach work, are excited to be embarking on this project to provide a critical service to the women in their communities. The need is great. And, they know, that through the services they will provide, they will be fulfilling the need to help support the women through their pregnancies and during the first critical months of their babies’ lives. The implementation of this new program will be a significant step forward.

If you would like to help us with serving the women in this program, please call Marie Michelle at 407-886-5151 or send a monetary contribution to the Farmworker Association of Florida at 815 South Park Avenue, Apopka, Florida 32703.

Farmworkers Travel to Miami to Give Testimony on Their Experiences of Racial Discrimination

2008-06-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

On Monday, June 2, farmworkers from the Farmworker Association of Florida participated in giving testimony before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Speaking about her experiences with serious health problems related to years of exposure to toxic chemical pesticides, Geraldean Matthew, a former Lake Apopka farmworker, could not hold back the tears when she remembered all the injustices and mistreatment that characterized her life in the fields as a child and as a young woman. In addition, the community she now lives in is an example of environmental racism, where residents live in close proximity to two Superfund sites, a medical waste incinerator, two landfills, a sewage treatment plant, contaminated former farm fields, and various plastics manufacturing industries. Most painful of all for her is knowing that her history of exposure has had impacts on her children. Her powerful testimony left no one in the room unmoved. Pedro-Jesus Romero-Menendez participated in the panel on Housing and Homelessness. With photographs that told a story that words alone could not, Pedro-Jesus talked about the deplorable living conditions that many of Florida's farmworkers are subjected to. In a case that has left a mark on the community of Immokalee, he told the story of two children and their family members that were killed in a trailer fire in 2006. The windows of their rented trailer had bars that prohibited the families from escaping when a raging fire engulfed their residence. Promising young lives were cut short due to discriminatory housing practices.

With a packet of photos, fact sheets and informational documents that they presented to the Special Rapporteur, the Farmworker Association delegation to the meeting in Miami demonstrated the kinds of racism that continue to be pervasive in the largely Hispanic, Haitian, and African-American agricultural worker community today. FWAF, along with the other participating organizations, including the ACLU of Florida, the Miami Workers Center, WeCount!, ACORN of Florida, South Florida Jobs with Justice, and Haitian Women of Miami, among others, is looking forward to the release of the rapporteur's report as an opportunity to highlight the issues that are impacting our communities.

At the invitation of the United States, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Mr. Doudou Diène, visited the United States from 19 May to 6 June 2008. While here, he visited the cities of Washington, New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico to gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. He held meetings with representatives of the Government, both at national and local levels, and with members of the legislative and judiciary branches. In addition, he held discussions with non-governmental organizations, community members, representatives of political parties, academics and other organizations and individuals working in the field of racism and discrimination. The Special Rapporteur will submit a final report on the visit for consideration at a forthcoming session of the Human Rights Council in 2009.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on racism was established in 1993 by the Commission on Human Rights to examine incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as governmental measures to overcome them.

FWAF to Host the Rural Coalition Assembly in Homestead

2008-05-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Homestead office of the Farmworker Association of Florida will host the 30th Anniversary General Assembly of our ally organization - the Rural Coalition - on June 5-8, 2008. We will commemorate our years of successful collaboration, as the Rural Coalition celebrates three decades of building a rural voice of inclusion for farmworkers, indigenous and rural communities, and small farmers and ranchers in the United States and Mexico.

The theme of the Assembly is "The Great Immigration Debate." The participanting organizations will hold their own discussion in "seeking solidarity in our approach to immigration and equity for all our diverse communities." A feature showing of the film "The Great Debaters" will be shown on Friday night, June 6th. Other activities range from a tortilla making demonstration, a tour of Haitian and Cuban communities in Miami, a competition crop harvest in the fields, and an historical timeline presentation of immigration in this country.

The Rural Coalition provides for a unique home base where the member organizations can consider tough issues like immigration in an inclusive way and build unity and solidarity on controversial positions. The General Assembly will provide a space to look deeply at the historical roots of the organizations and communities involved, while building a better understanding of the common ground that links us all together. Through the success of this hard work, we can move forward together to build a better world for us all.

For more information, please contact the Rural Coalition at 202-628-7160.

May 1st Candle Light Vigil Honors Immigrant Families

2008-05-20T13:09:00.001-07:00

May 1st Candle Light Vigil Focuses on Families

This year, the Farmworker Association of Florida chose to celebrate immigrant workers on May 1st by remembering and honoring the immigrant families that have been harassed, intimidated; unjustly detained; deported and separated because of the increasingly fomented anti-immigrant sentiment that has taken hold across the country. Hardworking families are living in fear, afraid to leave their homes or to drive to work; and children face the terror of coming home to find one of their parents arrested by law enforcement. These are the harsh realities that the immigrant community is facing on a daily basis. Many of the same people who pick our oranges, harvest our tomatoes and tend to ornamental plants in nurseries are now afraid to go to work. Yet, without their jobs, their families will not be able to pay for a place to live and for food to eat.

These were the issues that speakers – from religious leaders to affected family members to youth from the community – spoke about during the Candle Light Vigil at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando on May 1st in a gathering of more than two hundred people. With impassioned voices and heartfelt personal experiences, people told of how they were made to feel threatened and to feel disrespected and violated by the raids and racial profiling that have had devastating impacts on some families and individuals. Members of the Youth Group of the Office for Farmworker Ministry displayed a beautiful hand painted banner they had created that expressed the feelings of the immigrant young people. Farmworker Self-Help brought a delegation of 50 people on a bus from their headquarters in Dade City, Florida. Enlarged photos of some Lake County community members who had recently been deported were on stage for audience members to see the faces of the real people whose lives had been disrupted. FWAF asked attendees to make a statement, by writing their feelings in marker on a white sheet that will be used for display and to make a point with our political leaders.

Following the speeches and music, there was a moving and dramatic candlelit procession around the lake, as people solemnly marched together with prayers and remembrances for their immigrant brothers and sisters.

The message that was in everyone’s heart was - We are all Immigrants, We are One People Under the Universe.

FWAF continues to support a comprehensive immigration reform policy that is both compassionate and practical and that respects the basic human rights of us all.

Farmworkers to Oppose Approval of Toxic Pesticide

2008-01-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

CANCER AND BIRTH DEFECTS COULD THREATEN FLORIDIANS IF NEW PESTICIDE IS APPROVED

Farmworkers, farmworker advocacy organizations, organic growers, environmentalists and concerned citizens will gather to express their strong opposition to a highly toxic pesticide that is being considered for use in Florida. Methyl iodide, trade name Midas manufactured by Arysta LifeScience, is a groundwater contaminant, as well as a known carcinogen and a likely developmental neurotoxicant, with potential long-lasting impacts on developing fetuses, infants and young children. On Tuesday, January 15th, the Pesticide Review Council (PRC) of Florida will be holding a meeting in the Ballroom of the Reitz Student Union on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. The role of the PRC is to make recommendations to the Pesticide Registration Evaluation Committee on the approval or rejection of pesticides for use in Florida.

In 2005, the town of Immokalee, Florida received national attention when babies with severe birth defects were born to farmworker mothers, who worked at the same farm and who were suspected of being exposed to pesticides during their pregnancies. That the state of Florida should now be considering a pesticide that has caused birth defects in lab studies should set off alarm bells for all residents of our state. The situation is made even more dangerous when one considers that methyl iodide, unlike methyl bromide which it is expected to replace, contaminates groundwater in areas of sandy soil and shallow aquifer – such as, Florida! The agricultural areas where it would likely be used – primarily on tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and potatoes – are all near major metropolitan areas; and hence, would pose a threat to the drinking water supplies of potentially tens of thousands of people.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved methyl iodide for use in October of last year. The approval came as a shock to most watchers of pesticide issues, as the EPA had received a letter dated September 24th and signed by 54 scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, expressing their combined opinion that the acutely toxic methyl iodide posed too many risks to human health and the environment to even be a candidate for consideration.

Over 350 letters and emails have been sent to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in opposition to the registration of methyl iodide for use in Florida. On Tuesday, people will have a chance to observe the review process and make their concerns known during the public comment period.

Local Assembly in Apopka

2008-01-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

2008 is a monumental year for the Farmworker Association of Florida! We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary of work and service in and around Apopka and the surrounding communities! They have been good years that have seen many successes and accomplishments, even as they have presented and continue to present us with many challenges and obstacles. But, we are up to the challenge! And, we look forward to another productive 25 years working for positive change in our area and beyond.

On January 12th at the John Bridges Community Center, we will be holding our triennial Local Assembly. The Assembly will bring together a diversity of community people from around the area for a gathering whose purpose is to help chart the course of the organization for the next five years. Input from the community members is a crucial part of this democratic process. Through this mechanism, the issues that are of paramount importance to the community are identified. The decisions made at the Local Assembly will guide the direction of FWAF in the future, as we work to make a difference in the lives of the many families – hardworking men, women and their children - who build our community into the kind of place that we want to live.

Since its inception in 1983, FWAF has been committed to a shared vision of empowering people to be agents of change in their own lives, embracing and asserting their own power and dignity as workers and as individuals who are making constructive social and economic contributions to our area and to the state as a whole.

Our sincere thanks! Come celebrate 25 years with us!

AgJOBS Update

2008-01-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

Farmworker Justice December 13, 2007

Farmworker Justice and Public Citizen filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Department of Labor under the Freedom of Information Act for its failure to release information about employers applying for temporary foreign agricultural workers under the H-2A program and the job terms contained in those H-2A job offers. The lawsuit, brought on behalf of plaintiffs United Farm Workers and Farmworker Justice, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The attorneys handling this case are Bruce Goldstein, Virginia Ruiz and Marni Willenson of Farmworker Justice, and Michael Kirkpatrick and Adina Rosenbaum from the Public Citizen Litigation Group. See the press release about the lawsuit below. The lawsuit complaint is available at: www.farmworkerjustice.org .

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Groups Sue Department of Labor over Foreign Guestworker Documents

DOL fails to release information to farm worker advocates about

employers who hire foreign guestworkers before U.S. workers

(Washington, D.C.) The nation’s leading farmworker advocacy organizations today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under the Freedom of Information Act for its failure to release information about employers who have used the H-2A visa program to hire foreign guestworkers instead of U.S. workers. The lawsuit, by United Farm Workers and Farmworker Justice, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The groups are represented by attorneys with Public Citizen and Farmworker Justice.

“U.S. employers must publicize jobs to U.S. workers before they are allowed to hire foreign workers,” said Erik Nicholson, international director of the United Farm Workers’ guestworker program. “The Department of Labor has a legal obligation to issue public information about these hiring practices so that U.S. workers can apply for the jobs in time and so that advocates can protect farmworkers.”

The H-2A program permits agricultural employers to import foreign guestworkers only if they can prove that there are not sufficient workers for the job within the U.S. To prevent undermining U.S. farmworkers’ standards, the employers have to prove they are offering acceptable wages and working conditions. Farmworker advocates suspect many employers have violated this practice and that DOL documents would provide evidence. The groups want copies of applications to ensure employers and the DOL are complying with laws that regulate wages, benefits and working conditions within the United States.

“The Department of Labor has been secretly planning a major revision of the H-2A program to lower wage rates and enable employers to hire guestworkers instead of U.S. workers,” said Bruce Goldstein, executive director of Farmworker Justice. “The DOL must produce the records of employers who may have already been illegally hiring foreign workers. We hope this lawsuit pressures the Department of Labor to comply with the law and protect U.S. workers’ rights,” he concluded.

The United Farm Workers and Farmworker Justice have been requesting the information from the DOL for nearly a year. The DOL has either not provided the information or has released it months after the request – after it is too late for U.S. workers to apply for the jobs and after it is too late to oppose DOL approval of the application. The lawsuit seeks the release of public information in a timely manner and also asks the court to overturn the Department of Labor’s unlawful decision to charge fees for disclosing the public information.

Information about the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights

2008-01-04T11:05:00.002-08:00

What are U.N. Special Rapporteurs?

Special Rapporteurs (“SRs”) are independent experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council (formerly the U.N. Commission on Human Rights) with the mandate to monitor, advise and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries (country mandates) and on human rights violations worldwide (thematic mandates). The thematic mandates cover a wide range of issues relating to civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, including the human rights of migrants, violence against women, the rights of internally displaced persons, freedom of religion and arbitrary detention, among many others.

What do Special Rapporteurs do?

The functions of Special Rapporteurs include responding to individual complaints, conducting studies, providing advice on technical cooperation and undertaking country visits to assess specific human rights situations. Most Special Rapporteurs also receive information on specific allegations of human rights violations and send urgent appeals or letters of allegation to governments asking for clarification and concrete measures to end rights violations.

Article regarding U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights

A United Nations human rights expert took testimony in Immokalee as part of an examination of the treatment of migrants in the United States.
BY CASEY WOODS
cwoods@MiamiHerald.com

Wrapping up two days of testimony in Immokalee on Wednesday, a United Nations human rights expert studying the treatment of migrants in the United States said he was shocked by violations against immigrants in many parts of the country, including Florida.
''The violations of human rights in the U.S. are quite rampant on the part of government officials and by parts of American society that are going very anti-immigrant,'' said Jorge Bustamante, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants. ``I'm very surprised at the things I'm seeing in the U.S.''
Bustamante's three-week fact-finding mission represents the first time the U.N. has sent an official to specifically study the U.S. government's treatment of the millions of immigrants, legal and undocumented, who live within its borders.
Bustamante already has visited San Diego, Los Angeles and areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and will continue to Atlanta and New Jersey. After he wraps up his mission in mid-May, he will draft a report to be presented to the U.N. General Assembly.

DISTURBING STORIES
In Immokalee, Bustamante heard from a Haitian woman who said she was fired for union-organizing, a Colombian man who told of being attacked by an anti-immigrant property owner, and Central American farmworkers who said they were sickened by pesticides.
What he has heard in Florida is ''worse'' than he expected, Bustamante said, citing an immigrant who said he was charged with ''smuggling himself'' after he was picked up for being in the country illegally.
''They charged the guy with that just to have a charge that is a felony instead of just misdemeanor,'' he said. ``I haven't seen anything like that in any other country.''
Bustamante, a native of Mexico, is a sociology professor at the University of Notre Dame. He was appointed to the rapporteur position two years ago and expects to continue the work for four more.
His visit, which was arranged after the U.S. government extended an invitation, was coordinated by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, with the help of local organizations such as the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the Farmworker Association of Florida.
HOPES FOR THE REPORT
''The U.S. holds itself out as a model for human rights . . . around the world,'' said Chandra Bhatnagar of the ACLU. ``We're hoping the visit will force the U.S. to merge its words with its deeds and hold itself accountable for its statements on human rights.''
Local immigrant advocates were hopeful Bustamante's report to the U.N. could highlight their struggles.
''Normally, the work of organizations like ours is couched in terms of working for immigrant rights, but the experiences immigrants are having are really a human rights issue,'' said Maria Rodriguez of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
Bustamante's ''visit has really helped us frame it in the context of human rights, and it's really important for us to globalize the issue,'' Rodriguez said.

May 1st 2007 Immigrants Rights Rally and March in Orlando Report

2008-01-04T11:05:00.001-08:00

A coalition of groups, led by the Farmworker Association of Florida, held a rally at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando on Tuesday, May 1st 2007.

One year after the historic immigrants’ rights rally in Orlando in 2006, FWAF is continuing the struggle for civil rights for hard working immigrant families. The event was a way to recognize that immigrants have already earned their right to citizenship through their hard work and enduring contributions to our communities and to our economy.

In spite of majority support for a fair and comprehensive immigration reform among the American public, immigrants continue to experience repression and harassment at work, at home and on the street. Raids, detentions and deportations without due process have created a climate of fear for immigrants and their families. Families have been ripped apart, as thousands of children are now left without parents and dependents are left without any means of support.

The rally called for: (1) an end to the raids and deportations that are destroying communities; (2) an end to any guest worker program that does not include a pathway to citizenship; (3) respect for the economic and social contributions of immigrant workers; and (4) an open and fair democratic process in our Congress for comprehensive immigration reform.

The coalition partners acknowledged that a just and comprehensive immigration reform must include protecting and expanding basic civil rights for immigrants. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and motivated by a spirit of justice and compassion, we joined our hands and voices together to uphold our nation’s promise of liberty and justice for all.

“We need to recognize our common humanity and that immigrants in this country are hard-working people with the same hopes and dreams for themselves and their families as the rest of us,” said Quina Colon. “They want and deserve our respect, not our scorn. Historically, immigrants to the U.S. have been easy scapegoats for the fears of others. We want to show that the USA is a country of vision and opportunity founded on the principles of “liberty and justice for all.”

Groups endorsing the event included: ACORN of Central Florida; Central Florida Jobs with Justice; Central Labor Council of the AFL-CIO; Centro Campesino – Auburndale; Farmworker Association of Florida; Farmworker Self-Help; Florida Civil Rights Association; Iron Workers Union, David Gornewicz, District Representative; Justice and Peace Office, Latino Leadership; Latino and Latin American Institute of the American Jewish Committee; National Farm Worker Ministry; Office for Farmworker Ministry; Service Employees International Union; St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church; UNITE/HERE Local 362; and many other organizations and individuals from around the state of Florida.

Giving Thanks to Farmworkers Celebration and Fundraising Dinner

2008-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, November 14, 2007,
7:00 P.M.— 9:00 P.M.,
Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church,
526 Park Ave. N. Winter Park, FL.

This is an annual FWAF tradition, held during the Thanksgiving holiday season to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of farmworkers to our communities in providing the food that nourishes us each day. The event this year we honored Sister Gail Grimes for her wonderful work for the Farmworker Association of Florida for more than 20 years. We will also featured digital stories about farmworkers and the environment, musical entertainment, performances by farmworker youth and other performances.

“Working Hands”: Immigrant Workers and Human Rights Two-Day Workshop, Fort Myers, Florida.

2008-01-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

November 2 – 4 , 2007

The Farmworker Association of Florida, the Human Rights Program of the ACLU, ACLU of Florida, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the National Employment Law Project are presentied a 2-day strategy session that will brought together human rights and immigrant workers’ rights advocates to provide an overview of universal human rights standards that protect the rights of low-wage immigrant workers, both documented and undocumented. The workshop was interactive and included panels on various topics, including “Guestworkers and Human Trafficking,” “Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment of Women,” and “Subcontracting and Wage Theft.” On Friday evening, the Farmworker Association of Florida conducted a tour of the farmworker community in Immokalee, followed by a community dinner and a ceremony honoring the immigrants who have died migrating to the U.S.

Event Summary

Through identifying shared advocacy goals, we worked to develop concrete strategies for using human rights mechanisms, in addition to existing advocacy efforts, to end rights violations against immigrant workers in Florida and the Southeastern United States. The workshop used a human rights lens to tackle a range of issues facing low-wage immigrant workers.

The interactive training was of use to all groups and individuals engaged in work on immigrant workers' rights, including practicing lawyers, policy advocates, community organizers, and communications strategists. Though the workshop tackled specific challenges in Florida, they also helped advocates in surrounding states who face similar problems. The event was an opportunity for activists to learn about applicable human rights resources from experts in the field and to share experiences and strategies with other social justice advocates from around the Southeast.

EPA gives approval to a carcinogenic pesticide that contaminates groundwater!

2008-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently approved an extremely toxic pesticide, methyl iodide (MeI), for use in agriculture to replace the currently used fumigant methyl bromide (MeBr), which has been scheduled to be phased out. Farmers and the EPA have been looking for alternatives that are as effective as methyl bromide in combating pests and disease. Methyl iodide, however, is not the answer.

Methyl iodide presents a critical hazard and potentially deadly concern for Florida’s residents, farmers, farmworkers and for the environment. Though methyl iodide (MeI) is not an ozone depleting chemical, as is methyl bromide, MeI is a known carcinogen and has been shown, in scientific studies, to leach into groundwater in areas of sandy soil. With our unique topography, sandy soils, and precious drinking water source aquifer, Florida is especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of MeI. Of all the agricultural states in the country, Florida would be most at risk for groundwater contamination.

The EPA decision to consider MeI has so alarmed a number of noted scientists around the country that 54 of them, including five Nobel Laureates, have signed on to a letter urging the EPA to reconsider this position. To quote from that letter: “Because of methyl iodide’s high volatility and water solubility, broad use of this chemical in agriculture will guarantee substantial releases to air, surface waters, and groundwater, and will result in exposures for many people.” Additionally, the letter states, “Finally, we are perplexed that U.S. EPA would even consider the introduction of a chemical like methyl iodide into agricultural use.”

Links - www.panna.org
www.ufw.org

Take Action: Write a letter to EPA Administrator, Stephen Johnson, now.

US Social Forum June 28- July 2

2007-10-09T09:57:00.001-07:00

FWAF organized a delegation of 25 (8 staff members and 17 farmworkers) to travel to Atlanta to participate in the first-ever U.S. Social Forum, a gathering of activists and community and non-profit leaders from across the nation to work toward common solutions of social problems. During the Forum, FWAF conducted five workshops: youth organizing, pesticide exposure and farmworker health issues, immigrant civic participation, immigrant farmworkers transitioning into small farmers, and the impacts of globalization and mechanization on citrus workers. Each of the farmworkers in our delegation helped with the planning of at least one workshop.

What we did at the USSF
Made history • Connected to others • Shared our stories • Learned new leadership skills • Got inspired • Developed new strategies • Linked up with a global movement that is changing the world • Marched, sang, spoke our truth • Took a stand • Affirmed our issues and struggles • Advanced the struggle for justice

Who was there?
Grassroots organizers • Union members • People of faith • Community members • Educators • Youth • Peace Activists • Immigrants • Workers • Environmental justice advocates • Indigenous peoples • Displaced Gulf Coast Residents • Cultural Workers • Farmworkers

What took place?
Hundred's of workshops • Strategy Sessions • Plenaries • Direct Actions • Film Festival • Soccer Tournament • Cultural Festival • Concerts • Exhibitions • Mass Mobilizations •