Field Notes is a blog where Student Action with Farmworkers students share stories of their outreach, organizing, and advocacy work, and where farmworkers share their own stories and hopes for change, writing in the language they feel most comfortable.
To access our archive of past blog posts, visit our Field Notes Tumblr site here.
We cannot pull out all of the roots in one day
– Lucy Thames, 2021 Cosecha fellow Oppression is at the core of our systems. We’ve seen it in the fields, from the labor of enslaved people to migrant farmworkers. We’ve seen it in our neighborhoods, from blatant segregation to redlining. We’ve seen it even in the changemaking spaces that many of us love, from a lack of funding for organizations doing critical, community-based work to funding or reporting requirements that are much higher than our capacity. That’s not to say that these systems of oppression haven’t been challenged – organization and collective action have been strong forces, too.But we know…
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Awareness, Reflection, Regulation
– Selena Ibarra, 2021 SAF Cosecha fellow One of the issues reinforced for me at the Cosecha retreat in October was the need for self-care in the workplace because we, as leaders, are a part of a great movement for social justice. One of the workshops that stood out to me from the retreat focused on the three steps to self-regulate: awareness, reflection, and regulation. These three simple steps can go a long way to help us show up for social justice work and make a difference in what we do. Being aware of your surroundings and what is going…
Present, Inquisitive, and Participating
– Kirsten Alfaro, 2021 SAF Cosecha fellow “Am I present? Did I finish what I said I was going to finish? I wish I could be like them. What if people think I’m a complete fai--"Stop.Big Issue: Life is hard. Leading is hard. It’s messy, it’s complex, it’s human.I’m HUMAN!!! I’m realizing more and more that I am deserving of time for myself and for my family. Time to heal. Time to reflect. Time to be intentional. Time to act. Time to practice praxis. With my teams, with my partner, & with myself. To think of myself as undeserving is…
A Treadmill Under My Desk
– Rachel Wright Junio, 2021 SAF Cosecha fellow A treadmill under my desk. That's what my life had come to. Don't get me wrong – I love this treadmill, and I have found several benefits to moving more while at work. But this treadmill is a symbol. It's a symbol of overwork. It's a symbol of under-prioritizing myself and my health. It's a symbol of the life of a full-time working mom in the midst of a pandemic. No time for exercise? Stick a treadmill under your desk! No time to eat? Eat a meal replacement bar at your desk!…
I want to make change in my community
Emily Velazquez, SAF Levante Leadership Institute youth member My name is Emily Velazquez and I am a very strong person. The circumstances I had to go through have shaped me into the person I am today. My parents are originally from Michoacan, Mexico. I try to visit each year to see my family and spend time with them. Everything is much better in Mexico. When I visit, I feel as if I am stress-free and I don’t worry about anything. On the other hand, here in America I am always stressed and feel trapped. The reason I am in Levante…
I've been in the fields
Vicente Guzman, SAF Levante Leadership Institute youth member My experience with SAF has been amazing. We have been able to meet new people and talk about our lives. I’ve loved to talk about how to help farmworkers, especially in these hard times with the pandemic and this hot weather. I’ve been in the fields and it’s not a safe place to be because there are chemicals/ pesticides and people and animals that can end up being hurt. Farmworkers often don’t get bathroom breaks or sometimes they are disrespected. I want to be someone who speaks up for farmworker rights.
I remember being in their shoes
Ana Rojas-Gabriel, Solidaridad intern The following prompts are simple questions yet complex to answer: who am I? and where do I come from? I am Ana Rojas-Gabriel, a first-generation student at UNC-Chapel Hill. I come from my parents' hard work and their American dreams. I come from “echale ganas mija” and “sí, se puede”. From a community welcoming with open arms and rich in culture. This school year I am returning to the SAF family as an intern for Solidaridad. Specifically, I'll be working with youth in the Levante program. I am so grateful and eager to work with SAF…
I can't wait to begin
Genesis Ramirez, SAF Levante Leadership Institute youth member Hi everyone, I’m Genesis Ramirez and I am a senior at Sampson Early College high school. My family is from beautiful Honduras. My mother immigrated from her home country for a better life here in the U.S many years ago before having me and my other sibling. We currently live in a really small town called Salemburg and I love it! I used to hate the small town life but as I grow up I have realized how much I appreciate it and the tranquility it brings to our hectic lives. Modeling…
Getting involved in my community
Raúl EgremySAF Levante Leadership Institute youth member My name is Raúl Egremy Jr. and I am from Benson, North Carolina. I was born in Brownsville, Texas and my family is from Matamoros, Tamaulipas in Mexico. My dad and mom lived there until 10 years ago, when we moved to North Carolina. I joined the Levante program to get more involved in my community and to learn about social justice. I want to learn more about the issues and injustices farmworkers face and how to help better their situation. My mom is an employee at the North Carolina Farmworker Project in…
Working with the land community
Tony B. Nguyen, Solidaridad intern My name is Tony B. Nguyen. I am originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia, but most recently I am coming from Greensboro, North Carolina, where I had been living for the past five years. I am working with SAF over this next year as a Solidaridad Intern as part of my graduate school internship requirements for The Divinity School at Duke University here in Durham, North Carolina. I am in the middle of my second year of a three-year Master of Divinity degree, which is a degree traditionally for the training of Christian leaders, teachers, and preachers.…
Developing a relationship with food and land
Julianna Rennie, Solidaridad intern I grew up in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. My family could afford healthy and plentiful food, and my mother enjoyed cooking family meals every night. I thought food came from the grocery store, and I found dirt, well … dirty. My experiences are probably typical. But now, thinking about them makes me want to scream. While attending college, I worked at the Duke Campus Farm. For the first time, I started developing a relationship with food and land. I no longer accepted that food comes from the grocery store; I wanted to know where…
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My story begins even before I was born
Nathaly Trinidad Flores, Solidaridad intern My story begins even before I was born.The generations of strong people, that's the real story to be told.While I do not know all their names, it is because of their hard work that I am here today.In many ways, I feel guilty for that.Why do I deserve these opportunities, but they had to endure so much?It is a question I may never get the answer to, but in the meantime, I owe it to them to stay focused and take the opportunities available to me.The prompt for this blog was, who are you?Who am…
We Have the Power to Change
Brandy Fuentes, 2021 SAF internNew Frame LLC SAF intern Brandy Fuentes shares about the importance of seeing more diversity in the NC General Assembly to address worker issues like education equity and workers' compensation and how she sees change happening.
The Challenges of Outreach
– Kevin Gomez-Gonzalez, 2021 SAF internNC Justice Center I’ve spoken about the buses before. The ones that stood guard near the edges of tobacco fields that bordered the roads in my hometown, resting after ushering back groups of workers. This summer, however, I finally saw them up close. I saw how large they were. How they stood out against the wide-open skies. They filled up the cracked asphalt in front of the labor camp, silently keeping guard. I’d come out to this labor camp in Sampson County, not far from where I had grown up but still seemingly worlds away.…
Resistance has always been pushing up
– Rachel Scrudato, 2021 SAF internFarm Labor Organizing Committee When asked what he hoped for in the future, a farmworker answered with three simple things: “los mismos derechos, las mismas oportunidades, y la libertad que los ciudadanos tienen.” It is an injustice that the people who do the most foundational labor to feed our families and make this nation prosper are strategically held in a position of vulnerability, intentionally denied rights to maximize corporate profits: After feeling sick in the field, a worker died at a tienda while waiting for a bus to go back to Mexico, because he was…
Systemic Disparities in Medical Care
– Piper Strzelecki, 2021 SAF internEast Coast Migrant Head Start Program During my summer with SAF, one of the most significant disparities I noticed came to my attention at a free mobile health clinic that we hosted at a Head Start Center for migrant farmworkers and their families. This whole day highlighted the lack of resources in the healthcare system and specifically the lack of resources they allocate to marginalized communities. The event was scheduled for 3:30-6:30pm, so many people came after a full day of manual agricultural work. As people arrived, they completed the intake paperwork, then waited for…
This Transformative Summer
– Ana Rojas-Gabriel, 2021 SAF Program AssistantStudent Action with Farmworkers This summer, I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with SAF for a second year as a Program Assistant. In this role, I have been able to gain experience in project management, overseeing the behind-the-scenes of working with a nonprofit organization and learning more about the farmworker justice movement and the current advocacy efforts with the legislatures in NC and SC. As my time in this position is coming to the end, I'm reflecting on the unique encounters and memories I've experienced during this transformative summer.I remember feeling nervous to take…
In the moments we shared
– Joana Tellez Flores, 2021 SAF internEpiscopal Farmworker Ministry There really wasn't a typical day at work at the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry this summer; there was always something different to do and learn. On the days I had outreach, we would start by planning out the sites to visit early in the afternoon and then load up the van. We would usually take hygiene kits, snack bags, and clothing to hand out to the farmworkers while visiting. We would get to a site and ask if there were any concerns and if it was our first time visiting, we would…
An Issue That Was Reinforced to Me: Mental Health + Loneliness Among Farmworkers
– Angel Venegas, 2021 SAF internGood Samaritan Clinic SAF intern Angel Venegas speaks about an issue that was reinforced to him this summer through his outreach work with the Good Samaritan Clinic in NC -- mental health and loneliness among farmworkers. Angel shares the three things he learned that can make a difference in farmworkers' lives: mental health services, quality time, and technology.
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The Flowers of the Movement
– Ruhama Tereda, 2021 SAF internPiedmont Health Services This past summer, I drove hundreds of miles through the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Long winding roads were framed by the treeline that extended from rolling hills of mostly tobacco. I’d never seen a tobacco plant in person until this summer. Weeks went by and revealed how tiny green sprouts neatly planted in a sea of rust-colored dirt grew into towering plants. As we conducted health surveys with farmworkers, we’d sometimes comment on the plants. From a distance, the tall green plants looked lightly dusted with snow; a closer look revealed…
The Biggest Issue That I Witnessed
– Alejandra Araiza Mendoza, 2021 SAF internNC Farmworkers' Project During my time in the fields, the biggest issue that I witnessed was oppression. Sadly, workers are still the victims of growers' oppression despite all of the achievements that we have been able to make. Much of the mistrust and complications workers face with being able to communicate and create boundaries with growers is due to intimidation. Some workers did not want to be seen talking to us out of fear of the trouble that they could get into with growers. There was one occasion where we were not able to…
My Favorite Experience So Far
– Sinai Pacheco-Zamora, 2021 SAF internSC Migrant Education Program https://youtu.be/VZ4O4AbX2z8 SAF intern Sinai Pacheco-Zamora shares what outreach looks like with the South Carolina Migrant Education Program and about her favorite experience so far – teaching her first English class.
Love is a concrete revolutionary practice
– Celeste Ortega-Felix, 2021 SAF internNC Community Health Care Association “Love is profoundly political. Our deepest revolution will come when we understand this truth. Only love can give us the strength to go forward in the midst of heartbreak and misery. Only love can give us the power to reconcile, to redeem, the power to renew weary spirits and save lost souls. The transformative power of love is the foundation of all meaningful social change. Without love, our lives are without meaning. Love is the heart of the matter. When all else has fallen away, love sustains." – Bell Hooks…
What I Did Not Know
– Marithza Mondragon, 2021 SAF internAccess East Before my SAF internship I knew about some of the injustices that farmworkers experience while coming to the United States to work. What I did not know was that everyone comes here for a completely different reason, whether it be to raise some money for their daughter's quinceañera or to simply bring money back to support their families at home. I also did not realize how young most of these workers were or how long many of them have been doing this type of work. While interning at Access East this summer, I…
Healthcare is a human right
– Maria Echeverri, 2021 SAF internGood Samaritan Clinic Late nights are common for us when it comes to going on outreach. I love being able to see the North Carolina mountains during sunset. For me, this is home. This is the state that I grew up in and the state that I want to serve in the future. However, I cannot help but wonder how the migrant farmworkers we work with see these views. Do they see these mountains as barriers to their homeland? As a symbol of sadness or oppression? I’m sure this view means something entirely different to…