National Farmworker Awareness Week: Women in the Fields

On this day of National Farmworker Awareness Week we celebrate women in farmworker communities by showcasing the work of one of our community partners. Lideres Campesinas, a community organization founded and run by women, is based in Oxnard, CA. Lideres organizes committees of women and girls in farmworker communities across the state of California, harnessing the power of women to educate and advocate within their communities for fair and safe workplaces, women’s health, and youth programs, among other priority issues.

For the past two years, Farmworker Justice has partnered with Lideres Campesinas to engage the members of three committees as promotores de salud (community health workers) dedicated to the health and safety of farmworkers exposed to hazards on the job. As promotores de salud, the women share information about pesticides, heat illness, and field sanitation with others in their community. They explain how farmworkers can take simple steps to prevent injuries and illnesses. They also become resources within their communities, disseminating information about the right to a safe workplace and where and how workers can ask questions or report violations of their rights. Many of these women have become fixtures at community-wide and governmental meetings representing the interests of farmworkers.

We, at Farmworker Justice, are inspired by the amount of time and energy the founders, board members, staff, and volunteer members devote to the organization and their communities.
 

On this day of National Farmworker Awareness Week we celebrate women in farmworker communities by showcasing the work of one of our community partners. Lideres Campesinas, a community organization founded and run by women, is based in Oxnard, CA. Lideres organizes committees of women and girls in farmworker communities across the state of California, harnessing the power of women to educate and advocate within their communities for fair and safe workplaces, women’s health, and youth programs, among other priority issues.

For the past two years, Farmworker Justice has partnered with Lideres Campesinas to engage the members of three committees as promotores de salud (community health workers) dedicated to the health and safety of farmworkers exposed to hazards on the job. As promotores de salud, the women share information about pesticides, heat illness, and field sanitation with others in their community. They explain how farmworkers can take simple steps to prevent injuries and illnesses. They also become resources within their communities, disseminating information about the right to a safe workplace and where and how workers can ask questions or report violations of their rights. Many of these women have become fixtures at community-wide and governmental meetings representing the interests of farmworkers.

We, at Farmworker Justice, are inspired by the amount of time and energy the founders, board members, staff, and volunteer members devote to the organization and their communities.