Quick Summary
National Farmworker Awareness Week is March 25-31. It is a time to recognize all farmworkers do for our communities and to acknowledge the issues they face. Resources are available in eLibrary Minnesota and the Minnesota Digital Library to help us learn about farm workers and hear their voices.
March 25-31 is National Farmworker Awareness Week. During this time we recognize, acknowledge and celebrate farm workers and raise awareness of the issues they face. It is an opportunity to educate ourselves about the work they do and the conditions they face as well as to listen to their voices. There are various resources accessible through eLibrary Minnesota and the Minnesota Digital Library to help us learn.
One of the leading factors that leads to harmful working conditions is exposure to pesticides and other chemicals that are used in farm fields. An article titled “Workplace Preference among Farmworkers: Piece Rate, Pesticides, and the Perspective of Fruit and Vegetable Harvesters” explores these working conditions and their ramifications; this article can be accessed through the Academic Search Premier, resource available on eLibrary Minnesota.
Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta were prominent civil rights activists and labor leaders that amplified the voices of these communities. They co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962, advocating for equal rights for farm laborers. You can learn more about these two leaders by reading “Cesar Chavez: Protecting Farm Workers,” available in Ebooks Minnesota, and through a biography on Dolores Huerta available in eLibrary Minnesota’s Britannica Academic Edition.
Their efforts paved the way for members of the community such as Heladio “Lalo” Zavala to build upon what they established and continue to advocate for farmworkers. After attending Moorhead State College, Heladio started working with the Latino/x communities in Minnesota using his degree in social work and Spanish to advocate for these communities. He went on to become CEO of the Midwest Association of Farmworker Organizations and focused on creating healthy conditions for farmworkers. You can learn more about his experiences by listening to his interview in the Minnesota Digital Library.
Sources
"Dolores Huerta." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2017. academic-eb-com.content.elibrarymn.org/levels/collegiate/article/Dolores-Huerta/124984. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
Macceca, Stephanie. "César Chávez : Protecting Farm Workers." Teacher Created Materials, 2015.
Rachel Soper, Rachel x. “Workplace Preference among Farmworkers: Piece Rate, Pesticides, and the Perspective of Fruit and Vegetable Harvesters.” Rural Sociology, vol. 86, no. 4, Dec. 2021, pp. 728–51. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.content.elibrarymn.org/10.1111/ruso.12377.
Zavala, Heladio,United States. "Interview with Heladio "Lalo" Zavala." 10/18/2010. Minnesota Historical Society, collection.mndigital.org/catalog/p16022coll548:947 Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
