Content Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault.
Emory University students, faculty and community members gathered together in Oxford College’s Williams Gymnasium on Oct. 18 to attend “Migrant Worker Health in the Florida Heat.” The talk, organized by the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement, is part of the Ideas Festival, a free event featuring exhibitions, live music and performances.
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Assistant Professor Roxana Chicas (16N, 20G) moderated the event, and Gerardo Reyes Chaves, a Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) leader and Jeremy Young (00C), senior investigative producer for Al Jazeera, joined her in leading the conversation on migrant worker rights in the U.S. food system.
During the hour-long discussion, the three spoke about the dangerous working conditions and labor exploitation that migrant agricultural workers can experience upon moving to the U.S.
To begin the talk, Reyes shared that he arrived in South Florida as a teenager to work in tomato fields . During his job search, he learned about the CIW and its accomplishments. According to Reyes, in the 1990s, farmworkers experienced stagnant wages, verbal and physical abuse and sexual harassment, most of which went unreported out of fear of retaliation. In response, many farmworkers established the coalition in 1993, and since then, the CIW has continued to advocate for migrant workers’ rights.
After joining the CIW, Reyes said the coalition helped launch the Fair Food Program, a worker-led initiative that partners with retail food companies to uphold fair wages and safe working conditions. According to Reyes, CIW members observed the fast food, retail food and food provider industries and “the influence they have over the workers in their own supply chain,” and that pushed them to start the program.
Since its creation, the Fair Food Program has pushed companies such as Taco Bell and McDonald’s to sign legally binding agreements that support labor protections.
“We were able to, then, with that power, become the faction that did tell the farmers how to run the farm, including human rights for workers in their fields,” Reyes said.
Following this, Chicas, whose academic research examines the effects of extreme heat on farmworkers’ health, shared her perspective as a former undocumented immigrant. She said that people often overlook the human cost behind agricultural labor.
Chicas said it is important to think of the people behind the numbers when considering migrant workers.
“Behind every statistic there is a person, there is a worker, there is a friend, there is a son, there is a father, there’s a mother,” Chicas said.
Following the event, attendees reflected on the importance of hearing these stories firsthand in interviews with The Emory Wheel.
Alice Yu (27Ox) stated that, although she had briefly heard about immigration within the context of the current political climate, listening to the three speakers inspired her to want to learn more.
“I took away the idea of how important it is to pay more attention to events that are happening around us, and how powerful it can be to listen to first-hand stories like these and continue to share them,” Yu said.
Priyanka Mohanraj (26Ox) said that the impact of attending discussions like these can be beneficial for students, motivating them to reflect on their core values and beliefs.
“Us as college students, we’re at a very particular important part of our lives in which we have the ability to decide what type of people that we want to be, as well the values that we want to choose and prioritize,” Mohanraj said. “I feel like attending talks like these are really important, as it plays a really important role in helping us become the people that we hope to be.”
If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, you can access Emory’s Title IX resources at 404-727-0541 or https://equityandcompliance.emory.edu/title-ix/index.html and the Office of Respect at https://respect.emory.edu/ or its hotline 24/7 at 404-727-1514. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault hotline 24/7 at (800) 656-4673 or https://hotline.rainn.org/online. You can reach the Atlanta Grady Rape Crisis Center crisis hotline 24/7 at (404) 616-4861 or gradyrapecrisiscenter@gmh.edu and the Decatur Day League Sexual Assault Care and Prevention crisis hotline 24/7 at (404) 377-1428.
