Apuntes de campo es el blog donde los estudiantes de Estudiantes en Acción con Campesinos (SAF) comparten historias de su trabajo directo en el campo con los trabajadores, el trabajo organizativo de base y las actividades de defensoría. Y también donde los trabajadores agrícolas comparten sus propias historias y esperanzas de cambio, escribiendo en el lenguaje que les resulte más cómodo a cada uno.
Farmworkers are Environmental Stewards
By: Jacey Anderson, SAF Board Member Thousands of years ago, humans began planting seeds, forever changing our relationship to the land. Today, the people who sustain that relationship—farmworkers—are rarely recognized as environmental stewards. This disconnect isn’t accidental. It reflects a deeper contradiction at the heart of modern environmentalism embedded in a capitalistic society. Farmworkers aren’t just laborers within environmental systems—they are environmental experts through lived, embodied knowledge. Many have crossed different borders and biomes. They read soil, weather, pests, crop cycles; they experience elemental and chemical exposure firsthand; they know what “sustainable” actually feels like on the body. Yet they…
Sylvia Zapata's Open Letter
This letter was written by SAF's Executive Director to address the news on Dolores Huerta and recent investigative reporting on Cesar Chavez. Sylvia's StatementDownload
Honoring the Hands That Feed You
By: Mari Juarez, SAF's Youth Organizing Director Looking back at my experience and influences that got me to where I am today really makes me emotional. As a leader myself, I must recognize that I am in my position doing the work that I do because another woman had to step out of her comfort zone and do the unthinkable. The woman who inspires me the most is my mom. I grew up in a trailer that was right next to the dairy farm my parents worked at. It was walking distance, almost like my backyard. Due to the farm being sold, we had to move, and luckily my parents found jobs at a…
Structural Racism's Impact on My Community
By: Ivan Aguilar, Levante Scholar '25-'26 Levante Scholars spent some time during their mid-retreat discussing the environments in which structural racism still exists and making connections to farm work. Scholars learned how to analyze structural racism and strategize racial equity. They were given the opportunity to reflect on their discussion where Ivan Aguilar, Levante Scholar, had an insightful perspective to share in Spanish and English. El racismo estructural es cuando en una comunidad o país, la sociedad solo beneficia a ciertas personas. Ya que al tener rasgos más finos, la sociedad radicalmente piensa en darle más prioridad a estas personas. Esta estructura beneficia a personas de alta economía…
Off the Grammys Stage: El Pueblo in Solidarity
By: Teresa Vazquez, SAF Staff Member & Alum "Hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. We love our people. We love our family, and that’s the way to do it: With love. Don’t forget that, please. Thank you." - Bad Bunny At first, my initial reaction to this part of Bad Bunny’s (or Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) 2026 Grammys acceptance speech for winning best música urbana album for his 2025 album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS was “How can I love someone who hates me?” As I continued watching the show on someone’s random TikTok livestream, I…
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Growing the Future: Why Farmworker Justice Begins with Youth Leadership
By: Ramon Zepeda, SAF Alumni Introduction I first became involved with SAF in 2005. At the time, I was a young person trying to understand my place in the world, my family’s struggles, and the systems that shaped our lives. Over the years, I stayed connected—as an alum, a board member, a staff member, and now as someone doing economic justice work in Virginia. No matter where life has taken me, SAF has remained a constant part of who I am and how I understand leadership, justice, and community. My journey with SAF eventually led me to join staff in…
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