Intern Blog: Church Delegation with ERUUF and NFWM

By Blake Daniel, Duke Divinity Intern

Yesterday I traveled to a remote farm in north-central North Carolina as part of the National Farm Worker Ministry’s farmworker outreach project. My fellow NFWM workers and I traveled with some ten members of the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to pay a visit to a group of migrant Latino men who have been working in the tobacco fields all summer. Our goal in visiting was one of solidarity. Most of us from NFWM and ERUUF have spent time learning about the lives and hardships of migrant workers in the U.S. and, as such, we were eager to dialogue with and befriend members of this group that so often goes unnoticed.

We spent the better part of the afternoon in fellowship at the workers’ house, which was an aged trailer sitting in solitude amongst acres of tobacco crops. My fellow intern Lauren led us all in introductions and ice-breakers. Members of ERUUF provided a lunch replete with ham, macaroni salad, fresh fruit, and ice-cold Pepsi.

Intern Blog: Reflections from the Fields – A Visit to Three Farm Labor Camps in One Night

By Blake Daniel, Duke Divinity Intern

I’m always struck by the drive out of Durham and into farm country.

Lauren and I meet up with Rebecca from the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the three of us make the trek to visit farmworker labor camps in rural North Carolina. We leave behind the gothic architecture of Duke University and the exposed brick of downtown Durham to, abruptly, find ourselves immersed in agriculture. As my fellow intern Lauren drives, I look out the window to see classic signs of Americana: red barns with Coke logos painted on the side, American flags flying in front of quaint farmhouses, “Jesus Saves” scrawled on makeshift marquees, and rusted-out Chevys, amongst other detritus, littering the shoulder, all of which seem to reach back into a bygone era. I take in the landscape glowing amber in the setting sun as we suddenly pull off the road and into a gravel parking area. A stray dog ambles by, a rooster crows, and I look up to see a single-wide trailer at the end of the driveway. We’ve reached the farmworker labor camp.

Sharing in the Struggle

A group from Los Angeles and a group of pastors from Bakersfield traveled to the fields to visit with Giumarra workers.

Students of the Charismatic Renovation of the Pastoral Region of San Gabriel celebrate the Memorial mass in the Cathedral. Several students participated in the mass as eurchristic ministers, ushers, and in the procession. After the mass the students helped with postcards supporting Immigration Reform.

Intern Blog: A First Visit to a Labor Camp

By Blake Daniel, Duke Divinity Intern

We pulled up to the ramshackle farmhouse in the boondocks of North Carolina just as the sun was setting. I took stock of the rural imagery as we parked and got out of the car. This sunset is beautiful, I thought – yet my thoughts quickly ran to the farm workers whom we were preparing to visit: Each sunset merely concludes a day of sweltering summer heat. And what beautiful farmland! But would I like to work this farmland on my hands and knees twelve hours a day, six days a week? Indeed, much of the bucolic setting comes at the expense of unrewarded human labor. I couldn’t help but think, How much of this soil has blood in it?

Thankfully my cascading thoughts were diverted as we padded our way onto the front porch of the house. Both curious and cautious, we knocked on the trim of the screen door and peered through the mesh. A smiling face quickly appeared and greeted us warmly in Spanish. Alex’s disposition changed immediately as she recognized Luis, a farm worker from Veracruz, Mexico with kind eyes and a gentle presence. Luis ushered us inside and introduced us to his two coworkers and housemates, who are also from Veracruz and, like Luis, are working in North Carolina as part of the government’s H2A guest worker program.

For ninety minutes, we – Alex, Lauren, and myself – sat in the front room of this old farmhouse, beneath one exposed lightbulb and amidst stifling humidity, and we told stories. Sometimes our stories were of lighter fare – our thoughts on the World Cup, for instance, or on the awkwardness of learning another language – and sometimes our stories focused on more serious issues, like immigration reform and the recent death of a farm worker friend. Since my Spanish is pretty rusty, I spent most of the time listening.

Intern Blog: Building chicken coops and bridges

By Blake Daniel, Duke Divinity Intern

This past Saturday I learned how to build chicken coops.  No, not long, industrial chicken coops like you see on poultry farms; rather, chicken coops made from two-by-fours and wire, made to sit comfortably in one’s own back yard. 

I learned this as part of a service project we did in Hurdle Mills, NC, at the home of a wonderful Latino farm worker family.  Alexandria Jones, my wife Erin, and myself met up with some friends from all over central North Carolina to put our muscles to work building two chicken coops, both of which can hold at least ten chickens and provide meat and eggs for an entire family.  While working in the hot sun for several hours was very tiring, the group’s enthusiasm, humor, and desire to serve more than compensated for the hard labor.  It was a great opportunity to meet a farm worker family first-hand, to practice Spanish, and to get an inkling of an idea of what life is like for farm workers who work all day, every day, in the hot North Carolina sun.

Forfeiting the usual Saturday sleep-in, Erin and I awoke early to drive to tobacco farm country in Hurdle Mills, NC.  We showed up to the farm property, unsure of who exactly we were helping and what condition their home was in.  But, as we approached the home, we were greeted in Spanish by Francisca, a young mother of four with a patient, hospitable spirit.  She extended a warm welcome and we were promptly invited inside their doublewide trailer to watch Sponge Bob with the kids and drink 7-Up.

As we waited for the rest of our team, Erin and I warmed up our rusty Spanish conversation skills in getting to know Francisca and her kids.  Their hospitality and warmth was staggering.  Erin sat on the couch and chatted with Gilberto, the youngest son, about “Silly Bands,” while I tried to get a better handle on the family’s life by talking in the kitchen with Francisca.  Soon after, the rest of our party arrived, and we began working outside on the family’s two chicken coops.

"What did you eat for breakfast today? Do you know where your food came from?"

by Alexandria Jones, NFWM NC Staff

These questions set the stage for ERUUF’s religious education time for youth on June 6, 2010 led by staff and volunteers from the National Farm Worker Ministry. Young ERUFFians participated in two fun and informative hands-on activities to learn about the men, women and kids who’s hard work in the fields brings the fruits and vegetables to our tables each day.

In the heat of the mid-day sun, the kids participated in the “Sweet Potato Challenge” where they suited up in protective gear, dug for sweet potatoes, and raced back to their “family”. The family that was able to dig the most sweet potatoes in the shortest time was awarded the wages that farmworkers would have earned in the fields for the same work. Needless to say, the group was not impressed with their wages and most left the activity feeling decidedly better about their own allowance at home.

Then, the kids divided into “families” again and put together skits which displayed some of the joys and challenges farmworker families go through on a daily basis including waking up early to cook the day’s meals and coming home after a long day of work to wash pesticides from their clothing.

Overall, it was a great day with lots of learning and fun. Thanks ERUUF RE coordinators for inviting NFWM again this year!

Intern Blog: Thoughts from Racial Justice Institute Training with Rinku Sen

by Blake Daniel, Duke Divinity Intern

On Wednesday the National Farm Worker Ministry North Carolina staff attended the Racial Justice Institute Training in Greensboro, NC. The training took place at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, a stunning location that pays tribute to past and current struggles for civil rights. It was led by Rinku Sen, a leading figure in the racial justice movement.

Rinku defined racial justice as “the creation and proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, attitudes and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, and outcomes for all.” The goal or indicator of racial justice is “equitable impacts and outcomes across race.” We as participants were challenged to think about the different levels of racism (internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and structural) and to brainstorm about how justice can permeate and affect each level.

Intern Blog: Getting off to a great start

The first few days of orientation here at the NFWM office for Blake and I were filled with educational activities, training sessions, and thought-provoking discussion about the current state of the struggle for farmworker rights. Some of the topics we learned about include:

• Cesar Chavez and the start of the farmworker movement: Formation of the UFW; The nationwide grape boycott in the late 60’s.
• Labor camp working and living conditions: Dangers of pesticide exposure; Dangers of dehydration and heat exhaustion; Abysmal living quarters.
• The current system of H2A and H2B workers and the issues that come with such programs, for example blacklisting;
• FLOC and how the NFWM partnership operates;
• Economic statistics on national as well as NC farmworkers;
• The significance of tying together communities of faith with farmworker communities

Overall, my first week was engaging, educational, and fun! I am more determined than ever to help our farmworkers attain the rights they deserve.

Journey to the Fields-Visiting Giumarra Workers

NFWM-California staff, Lucy Boutte organized and hosted 69 farm worker supporters to travel to the Central Valley on June 12th to visit with the National Cesar E. Chavez Center in La Paz and meet with Giumarra workers. The supporters came from 14 churches from Los Angeles County as well as a group of high school students on an immersion trip from St. Ignatius Prep High School, San Francisco. The purpose of the trip was so supporters could meet some of the farm workers they have been supporting for the past year through writing campaigns to the Governor, fasts & vigils.

NFWM Staff member reflects on her time supporting the UFW organizing effort in the San Joaquin Valley

UFW Organizing team and a current worker leader at Giumarra Vineyards

Christy Lafferty, NFWM California staff member, spent 6 weeks in the area of Bakersfield and Delano, CA in the San Joaquin Valley during September and October this year. She worked alongside the UFW organizing team and worker leaders there as they worked on the current campaign at Giumarra Vineyards. After this unique opportunity to directly experience the successes and challenges in organizing farm workers, she wrote this reflection that you can download and read by clicking HERE. Here is an excerpt from Christy’s reflection:

“When you shake a farm worker’s hand, you will feel the results of years of hard physical labor. But you will see in his or her eyes a humility and a gentle strength and ability to still hope for the day when they will receive the respect and just compensation for the work they do to feed their families. And that hope remains most when they join together and grows even stronger when they know that they have allies in the people who buy the fruits and vegetables they pick.”