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.
Labor Rights Are Human Rights
By: Gerardo Granillo, SAF Board Member Labor rights must be recognized as fundamental human rights Labor rights must be recognized as fundamental human rights because they protect every person's ability to work with dignity and equality. Work shapes self-worth, sustains survival, and impacts well-being. When labor rights are elevated, human rights, protections against exploitation, forced labor, unsafe conditions, and mistreatment become non-negotiable and universal. My experiences at SAF and in the camps I visited reinforced the idea that ensuring labor rights as human rights remains an unmet yet essential principle, even after decades of advocacy. Governments and employers must ensure fair…
Rights Without Borders
By: Carolina Mendez, SAF Board Member “In every journey, your rights follow you along.” I saw this message on a wall at a migrant shelter in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in the summer of 2024. I had spent the day speaking with migrants about their journeys, their work, and the uncertainty of waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border. The words stayed with me. They captured something I had been trying to understand through my own community-based research and experiences: wherever people go, their rights go with them. Rosaries and ID’s left behind on a figure of Christ at a migrant shelter in…
Finding My Purpose Through Legal Service
By: Michael Diaz-Badillo, 2026 ITF Intern at South Carolina Legal Services My time at South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS) served to me as an important step towards my future career. I learned more than I could imagine about immigration law. By providing legal service to the H-2A workers, I was able to help them in a way that protected their rights as workers and humans. At SCLS, Matthew and I were able to create an English translation of our, “Know Your Rights” booklet for Hatian-Creole and South African workers. We also created audio book narration of both the English and…
What This Summer Taught Me
By: Kevin Romo, 2026 ITF Intern at Hispanic Federation This summer with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF), I learned that one of the biggest issues facing farmworkers is not only the difficult conditions they work in, but also how often they are overlooked when policies and emergency plans are created. Before this internship, I knew farmworkers faced challenges such as long hours, low wages, language barriers, and limited access to resources because my own family has worked in agriculture. However, my experience with SAF reinforced that these problems become even more severe during climate disasters and emergencies. Farmworkers, many of…
Working With What We Have
By: Grace Macklin, 2026 ITF intern at Good Samaritan Clinic I should have seen it coming, but wishful thinking kept me from doing so. The biggest issue I witnessed this summer was the chronic lack of resources available to essential programs like the North Carolina Farmworker Health Program (NCFHP). At my placement with the Good Samaritan Clinic, I worked alongside three women, Karina, Sandra, and Maria, who led the NCFHP in their region. Together, they were responsible for connecting more than 1,500 farmworkers to healthcare. They work tirelessly with the limited resources available to them. We were constantly running out…
Stories from the Fields
By: Cristian Gutierrez, 2026 ITF Intern at the North Carolina Farmworkers Project Over the last month working with the North Carolina Farmworkers Project (NCFWP), I have had the opportunity to work with great people who are truly passionate about the work they do and the impact they make in the farmworker communities. One of the things that makes NCFWP is that every day is different. Some days we are out doing outreach in the fields, other days we are interpreting for patients at dental clinics or helping during evening clinics with Campbell University and Benson Health. There is no set…
Beyond what the eyes can see
By: Valeria Carranza-Rueda, 2026 ITF intern at the Farmworker Advocacy Network Coming into this experience, I was placed in the theater group, which I was a bit wary of since I had never participated in any theatrical productions before. Just my second-grade Christmas play, where I was Vixen the reindeer, but performing in front of farmworkers would be very different. I knew that theater was my only (scheduled) opportunity to do outreach, since my position is remote, so I knew this would be my chance to have face-to-face contact with farmworkers. And honestly, I was really excited to do theater, even…
Workshop Overview with UFE
By: Alexandra Paz, 2026 ITF Intern at United for Fair Economy On Saturday, June 6, my placement hosted a workshop centered on popular education and storytelling. The workshop brought together farmworkers from a poultry farm, Duke students, NC State graduate students, and members of our organization. What made this experience so memorable was watching people from completely different backgrounds come together with a shared willingness to learn from one another. Even though there was a language barrier, everyone made a genuine effort to communicate. We provided live interpretation throughout the workshop so that everyone could participate, ask questions, and share…
Why SAF?
By: Perla Hernandez, 2026 ITF Intern Immokalee, the Miccousoke origin means my home, and if anyone asked where home was, this would be my answer. Growing up migrant, however, has not allotted me this privilege. Home has been where I’ve settled for the season. Where I wait for the seasonal fruits of my parents labor to bloom. Where I find role models through demonstrations of diligence within the tomato fields. Since attending my school, the University of Miami, I’ve felt as if all the work that contributed to my acceptance has faded. The identity 17 year-old me applied with has…
Being a Levante Scholar
By: Jahir Matute, '25-'26 Levante Scholar A time I felt most proud of myself during this [Levante] experience was whenever Flor Juarez Diaz [Program Director at James Sprunt] came to speak and knew about me already from my non-profit initiative. The reason why was because it made me realize that all the work I was doing was paying off, and that people do pay attention to change and movement. I want to thank Levante for helping me be a more outgoing person who wants to create change. My understanding of issues related to farm work, immigration, and other social issues have definitely deepened from the Levante program. The lessons and panels we would…
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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Youth Voices on Farmworker Justice
By: 2025 Levante Leader Institute Youth Members Miranda Sophmore, Johnston County Farmworker justice starts with youth leadership because young people carry both the lived experiences and responsibility of shaping a more stable future and refuse to let those experiences be ignored. Many of us grow up witnessing the sacrifices workers make every day, long hours, physical exhaustion, and being undervalued despite the work that farmworkers are expected to give everything while receiving so little in return. These experiences shaped my voice early on and pushed me to speak up, even when it feels uncomfortable or challenging. I speak not only for myself,…
“Maybe I Am Not Equal to the Task”: A Thanksgiving Reflection
by Sylvia Zapata, Political Scientist, SAF Executive Director Doubt, Deadlines, and Touching Bottom Ty Herndon’s 1999 release I Can’t Do It All explores the fear of falling short. While Ty was singing about losing out on romantic love, that phrase, along with all its accompanying lyrics, made me think about how I felt that verse in my soul and how I have often thought, “Maybe, I am just not equal to the task.” Maybe the fear and anxiety that has me staring down the calendar, and the clock, with my mind racing and my hands frozen until “just the right time” triggers frenzied movement and submissions at 11:59 pm for a midnight…
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This Shaped Who I am Today...
My name is Jacqueline, [I am] a daughter of immigrants and former farm workers. My parents originally Mexico, later migrated to the United States. I was born and raised in North Carolina with my ten siblings. Growing up, there wasn’t always much to do [especially when] many of my older sisters often went out with their friends, and the large age gap made it harder for me to be included. [So], I spent most of my time playing active games with my brothers. Before we had access to WiFi, those games became our main source of fun and creativity. Because…
This Is Not The End
I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be part of the 2025 ITF summer cohort. It has been a well rounded experience full of both ups and downs. My placement was National Black Worker Center where I learned the art of organizing. It’s one thing to be part of a movement, but it’s definitely another thing to organize it. From meetings, paperwork, getting people to signup/ register, securing space, securing funding and most importantly, delivering the message to the people. These are all exciting “behind” the scenes work that I enjoyed. A very important lesson that…
Their Courage to Travel So Far From Home
[Editor’s Note: The following sentence has been added for context to clarify which experience the student is reflecting on in response to the prompt.] One day that truly stuck with me during my placement was when we visited the farmworker camps. I'd have to repeat that the visits themselves are the most memorable moments. Talking with farmworkers who just came back from hard work under the sun, some having been at the camp decades, others just days. Hearing their courage to travel so far from home in order to provide more for their families. Hearing their aspirations for the future,…
First Outreach Experience
I recently had the privilege of attending my first outreach experience with El Futuro es Nuestro (one of the coolest organizations ever!!). That day, we visited a flea market, and our job was to go up to people, introduce ourselves, and share the goals of El Futuro. Afterwards, we visited a house where multiple farmworkers live to lead a workshop on the dangers of heat. I remember the heat that day was intense, which made me even more alert and tuned in as we went through the workshop. We happened to be accompanied by the Executive Director of SAF, who…
First Week!
Hi! I’m Grace Herman, a rising junior at UNC Chapel Hill studying Public Health and Public Policy. I’m thrilled to join the SAF 2025 ITF cohort and will be working this summer with the NC Farmworkers Project alongside my intern partner, Johana. Last week, at SAF orientation, I learned about the farmworker justice movement through popular education and had the incredible opportunity to meet fellow ITF interns who I now call my friends and hear their inspiring stories. I have also spent a lot of time reflecting on my journey here and my place within this movement. My passion for health equity…
Summer Into the Fields
Hello, I am currently a third-year student at UNC Wilmington, majoring in Spanish. I’m excited to be interning with Student Action Farmworkers (SAF). I grew up in Florida a small town best known for its strawberry fields and the annual Strawberry Festival. I also spent part of my childhood in North Carolina, a small town which I often describe as living in the woods surrounded by deer. Coming from a family of fieldworkers, agricultural work was my first job as well. As a child, I didn’t fully understand what my mother meant when she said I was lucky to have the…
Our history and struggles are not something to hide; they are the reason to push forward.
At our first retreat, we were asked to share personal experiences that shaped who we are. I did not expect to open up that day; I don’t like to speak up in a large group, but the room felt safe and supportive. So, I talked about how I have worked on a chicken farm from a young age. I shared how it made me appreciate and understand some of the daily challenges my parents had to face. Waking up early, working in the heat, and realizing how little companies care about their employees. It made me feel invisible like my labor…