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 2011, where I began as a Grassroots Organizer supporting Farmworker Awareness Week, coalitions, and programs across the organization. Later, I helped co-direct the Into the Fields program for many years and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioned into the role of Youth Organizing Director, working closely with Levante students. Even after leaving staff, I’ve stayed involved, because SAF didn’t just shape my career—it shaped my values.
Today, I live in Virginia and work as an Economic Justice Organizer with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. Our organization focuses on racial, social, and economic justice, advocating for policies that support working families—paid sick leave, fair wages, protections for farmworkers, heat stress regulations, and overtime pay for domestic workers. The work is busy and demanding, but it feels deeply connected to everything I learned through SAF.
Learning Leadership from Lived Experience
My belief in youth leadership didn’t come from one defining moment. It came from many moments, starting with my own experience as a Levante participant. My parents worked in farm labor, meatpacking, and food service jobs. I watched them work incredibly hard to make ends meet, often in conditions that were unjust and unsafe. I also started working at a young age, helping my family however I could.
When I encountered SAF and migrant education programs, I learned something that changed my life: knowledge is power. Learning about workers’ rights, education pathways, and the systems affecting our lives helped me not only advocate for myself, but also support my parents and siblings. I realized that young people could play a powerful role in helping their families and communities navigate these systems.
Programs like Levante showed me that leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about being supported, mentored, and trusted. That understanding stayed with me as I later worked with students and families who reminded me so much of my own. Time and time again, I saw young people step into leadership when they were given the space and tools to do so.
What Youth Have Taught Me About Power and Courage
Working alongside young people reshaped how I understand power. Youth taught me that power becomes dangerous when it’s held tightly by a few, but transformative when it’s shared. Whether in families, organizations, or movements, shared power allows us to grow and prepares us for the future.
They also taught me about courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s choosing to speak up despite it. For many young people, especially those from immigrant or farmworker families, speaking the truth can feel risky. I learned not to confuse silence with apathy. Often, silence means someone doesn’t yet feel safe, heard, or supported.
And then there’s possibility. Youth remind me that the future is not fixed. When we slow down, listen, and make room for young people to lead alongside us, new solutions and visions emerge—ones we might never have imagined on our own.
Leadership That Is Shared, Not Hoarded
Working with youth challenged me to rethink my own leadership. There were moments when young people questioned programs I had spent months planning. At first, I felt defensive. But those moments became some of the most important lessons of my career. They taught me to slow down, listen, and be open to change.
I’ve seen how movements suffer when leadership is treated as something to be held onto rather than passed on. I deeply respect the leaders who came before us in the farmworker movement, but I’ve also learned that lasting justice requires intentional leadership development and transition. Leadership should be shared, nurtured, and renewed.
A Message to Today’s Levante Students
To current Levante students navigating an overwhelming political climate: never forget where you come from. Trust your lived experience, your family’s story, and your instincts. No amount of noise or misinformation can take that away from you.
One of the most powerful lessons I learned through SAF is popular education—the idea that no single person is the expert, and that our collective knowledge matters. Speak up. Ask questions. Lean on your peers, mentors, and staff. Courage grows in community.
Why Farmworker Justice Begins with Youth Leadership
I often think of my grandfather in Mexico, planting corn row by row while I walked behind him as a child. I watched the care and patience he put into the land, knowing that what he was growing would sustain our family.
Youth are much the same. They need care, mentorship, time, and trust to grow. Just as farmworkers nourish our communities, organizations like SAF nurture young leaders who will sustain the movement for justice long into the future.
Farmworker justice begins with youth leadership because when we invest in young people, we are growing the future.