The Urgent Call to Help the Hands that Feed Us - One for All Campaign
By well-known mural and street artist Don Rimx (Edward David Sepulveda), offering a twist to the barn quilt that traditionally adorn barns in the Appalachian area. Photo courtesy of Food Tank.
“Whenever there is a fight, so hungry people may eat, I will be there.” Tom Joad, The Grapes of Wrath
If you’ve been glued to the news like I have, you may have heard these words from the much loved and admired Chef Jose Andres, a humanitarian and leader of a global effort to address the COVID-19 food crisis through his organization World Central Kitchen.
“Let me tell you,” he said. “Read the Grapes of Wrath or The Jungle. Everything you need to know about the conditions for farm workers is there. It’s like these stories were written today.”
Can Today’s Story Be Different?
Monica Ramirez, founder and president of Justice for Migrant Women, believes a new story can be written. A leading activist and legal advocate, Monica has been fighting for the civil and human rights of women, children, and immigrants for more than 20 years. On May 20, 2020 she received the Ms. Foundation for Women Marie C. Wilson Award, named after the former CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation. The honor recognizes her work as a trailblazing advocate and feminist..
Combining her legal acumen, deep understanding of agricultural working conditions, and her life experience as the daughter and granddaughter of migrant farmworkers, Monica has opened up the hearts and minds of many to the extreme conditions faced by the two to three million U.S. farm workers — especially acute during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 900,000 of those U.S. workers are women and girls and they face tremendous hardship:
Illness from untreated conditions and exposure to COVID-19 and pesticides
Exclusion from basic labor protections — especially vulnerable to sexual harassment and violence because many women are undocumented and afraid to speak up
Deemed essential during the pandemic, but federal law does not grant them essential rights such as overtime pay, paid sick leave, or unemployment benefits
Monica Ramirez, founder of Justice for Migrant Women. Photo: JOE MCHUGH
“The labor of immigrant farm workers is essential to keep the food supply chains functioning. This population, whether in the field or packing house, is also the most vulnerable in the face of the coronavirus public health crisis. If we don't take the right measures.. there will be many farm workers across our country who get sick. And tragically, I think there will be some farm workers who will even die”
One for All: Support the Emergency Relief Effort
We’re supporting Justice For Migrant Women’s Farmworker Emergency Pandemic Relief Fund through our One for All initiative focused on helping provide immediate relief to communities hard hit by COVID-19.
The Farmworkers Emergency Pandemic Relief Fund, launched in partnership with Hispanics in Philanthropy, is raising immediate donations to help keep farmworker families safe from COVID-19 as they perform the essential work of harvesting the food we eat.
Donations to the fund will be used to provide money for food, rent assistance, diapers, medicine, and other basic necessities for those who are working to put produce in our stores, restaurants, and on our tables.
The Michael Stars Foundation is contributing a total of $10,000 to the Farmworker’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund by donating a portion of sales from our one-size tees.
Visit Michael Stars for more information.
Hope Motivates, Financial Support Sustains
Hope is something that I see and feel so strongly in all of the organizations we’ve supported over the past 20 years. Early women fighters for farm workers -- Dolores Huerta, Maria Moreno, Helen Fabela, Jessie Lopez, Hope Lopez, and Jessica Govea, among others – have shown us what hope looks like and how it fuels change.
Now confronted with the pandemic, a new generation of women -- Monica, Teresa Romero, Lupe Gonzalo, Eli Cuna, and many more –- have taken up the fight for the safety, dignity, and equality of farm workers. These women and their organizations continue to give us hope that things can and will change.
However, while hope motivates us to act, it’s financial support that sustains our efforts.
Please support emergency relief and action for farm workers today. Let’s help the hands that feed us and together we can write a new story of hope and change.
Thank you!