University of Idaho junior Luis Aleman said events like Farmworkers Awareness Week aim to help more people understand where their food comes from – but he said for him, the events remind him where he came from.
“We”re here in the U.S., also known as the land of the free, and some farmworkers experience what we call modern day slavery,” said Aleman.
He said his experiences growing up in the household of two farmworkers made him appreciate and understand the importance of these people and their crucial role in American society.
“It just kind of gets you when someone has the mindset of, “OK, on to the next thing,” as if it were a thing of the past,” Aleman said. “It”s not a thing of the past.”
Aleman”s parents spent long hours working on a farm when he was growing up. He said even while living with two farmworkers, he didn”t fully recognize what his parents were enduring to support their family.
“My freshman year here at UI, I was with (College Assistant Migrant Program), and it was because of them that I saw how even though I was a part of this group, I didn”t know how bad (conditions) could be,” he said. “That”s when I realized that these groups do need recognition, especially in higher education. We”re the ones that make the difference for them.”
Victor Canales-Gamino, recruitment specialist at CAMP, helps to make sure farmworkers” stories are heard during Farmworkers Awareness Week.
“Every year we get to serve 35 students who come from a migrant or seasonal-working background,” Canales said.
He said the purpose of CAMP is to aid farmworkers in many ways, and that is why Farmworkers Awareness Week is an event that is synonymous with their cause.
“This is our 11th annual, so each year we try to do some new things,” Canales said.
This year, the week consisted of a long-sleeve shirt drive, a Mexican-themed dance, The Cesar Chavez blood drive and a film. Many of these events have been a part of the week for many years, and have come to be a sort of tradition, Canales said.
This year, Canales said they are also doing a Bandana Project to raise awareness for female farmworkers who are sexually assaulted in the fields.
“We are trying to raise awareness about how they use the bandana to cover themselves up in order to look less feminine, so they don”t attract unwanted attention from coworkers or supervisors,” Canales said.
He said that the documentary screened this year, “East of Salinas,” follows the story of a student with migrant farmworker parents and the teacher who helped him continue going to school.
Oscar Ramos, the teacher featured in the documentary, delievered the keynote address on campus Thursday.
Canales said CAMP has also paired with the UI sociology department multiple times, and this week the partnership collaborated to make a Free Speech wall with facts about migrant farmworkers.
“It”s just a way to raise awareness in the community about our farmworkers,” Canales said. “Sometimes we don”t really acknowledge that the food that we get doesn”t just appear at the market. It comes with a lot of work, a lot of struggles.”
Will Meyer can be reached at [email protected]