Stories open our hearts and minds, stories create personal connections, and stories lead us to social change. It was through stories that I learned about the farmworker movement and SAF 20 years ago and that led me to my current role as a SAF staff member.

In SAF I found a community that is constantly evolving to live up to equity and social justice values. SAF’s belief in the value of all work led me to value my own work more than I ever have before. As I work to transform our agricultural system, I’m transforming myself.

One of the most inspiring moments for me at SAF is reading the students’ blogs. SAF Field Notes bring home the stories of farmworkers and SAF’s work with young people, and what your contributions can make possible.

Showing up for immigrants

Lucy was one of 25 Into the Fields interns and fellows who reached more than 5,000 immigrant workers this past agricultural season through outreach, direct services, and participatory theater and documentary projects.

“As I drive away from the mountains, I can’t help but think of all the people who have sat in the seat beside me. The father who fled the violence in his country a month before finishing his college degree; the single mother asleep in my backseat after a night shift in the poultry plant, holding her toddler as if to form a cocoon around her; the young man talking about how much colder it is in Michigan two days after being hospitalized from heat illness...”

Most miss home; some are scared to return there. Some dream of being teachers, or nurses, or sacando adelante a los niños. Some have labored in the same fields for 20 years, and take so much pride in their work that they could never dream of leaving."

 
Showing up for workers

Leonor is another SAF intern from this past summer. She provided know-your-rights trainings for workers in SC and connected them with legal resources.

“He was sitting down on a bench enjoying a plate of arroz y frijoles with a tortilla in his hand. I approached him and informed him about his rights; like most farmworkers, he nodded his head and said everything was all right but I knew that wasn’t true. It wasn’t until I brought up my family’s origin in Oaxaca, Mexico, my beautiful indigenous village, that he opened up. Little did I know he was my paisano, born and raised in Oaxaca. He came on an H-2B visa and first lived in Georgia where he spent horrific exploited days, underpaid, suffering inhumane housing, discrimination, and humiliation… As an intern in Legal Services, I was able to collect his information and hand it over to our paralegal…”

Showing up for youth

In their reflections, Lucy and Leonor captured the transformation that many SAFistas go through.

"I’ve learned so much from the inspiring and driven SAFistas around me. I’m excited … about the collective knowledge we’ve developed, to continue to listen and learn from people’s stories, and to share the knowledge that I gain with communities who might not consider where their food comes from."       
– Read more here Lucy Thames, intern with Good Samaritan Clinic

"I helped educate hundreds of farmworkers about their rights and I built many connections…. My career goals have definitely shifted since finishing this internship. This internship was life-changing and impacted not only my life but has made me a newer and better social activist."
– Read more here from Leonor Victoria, South Carolina Legal Services

Through the stories I hear from SAFistas and workers, I have learned how to show up for the farmworker movement – I have mentored Solidaridad interns, incorporated popular education and anti-oppression trainings in my work and for the first time in my life - I stood at the corner of a gas station with a sign asking for a boycott.

I know that many of you have been showing up for a long time– sharing your personal stories of working in the fields, attending protests and honoring farmworker-led boycots, and advocating for immigrant families. We are stronger because of your choice to show up and we are grateful for your support. I am asking you to show up once again for SAF by making a donation that is significant for you.

Will you show up for immigrants, farmworkers and youth this year by contributing to SAF’s work?

In Solidarity,

Sandra Rodriguez, SAF Assistant Director