In collaboration with IMM-Print/Freedom for Immigrants, I produced an op-ed series spotlighting the experiences of migrant farmworkers in the U.S. throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Homing in on the Harvest, I round up articles and first-hand accounts from journalists, authors and eyewitnesses who paint us a picture of the individuals, circumstances and histories of those who have kept us fed. We hear from men, women, children and the elderly. Central American, Asian and Indigenous laborers. We look at root causes, at what’s to be done, and what the future may hold for both people and planet.
If you have any insights, perspectives or resources to share, comments and emails are welcome & encouraged.
Homing in on the Harvest: Tracking the ruinous tale of a viral, pandemic myth. (IMM-Print; Mar 15, 2021)
Mockery, blame and prejudice have loomed over Asian Americans throughout this pandemic, and plagued our country long before COVID-19 ever arrived. Like the virus, they spread rapidly through air, and reveal themselves by dint of myriad repercussions.
Homing in on the Harvest: Casting About for Priority (IMM-Print, Feb 8, 2021)
Social justice and attending to the planet proceed in parallel; the abuse of one entails the exploitation of the other. – Paul Hawken, “Blessed Unrest”
Homing in on the Harvest: “The fruit will not wait for this to pass.” (IMM-Print; Jan 8, 2021)
As the medical community scrambles to tame this pandemic, a swath of essential workers remains missing from our conversations.
Homing in on the Harvest: A balancing act like no other. (IMM-Print; Dec 28, 2020)
For the average U.S. citizen, their mind far from the source of their food, realities of agricultural life would be rough to comprehend. Yet, those of a migrant farmworker mother during a pandemic may just take the cake.
Homing in on the Harvest: COVID-19 & the Wary Wisdom of Migrant Children (Medium; Jan 2, 2021)
School is out, but not the fear of detention: Layered onto the mounting burdens of this extraordinary population is the looming threat of immigration enforcement. Living conditions and economic hardships aside, not to mention language and cultural barriers, migrant students must also navigate risks of deportation.
Bothered Earth 