Five on Friday: Stepping Up to Support Farmworkers

Fri, 05/01/2020 | by MCN Admin

A farmworker wearing a bandana and carrying strawberries

Cinco de Mayo is just days away, and the festivities continue, albeit online. Altísimo Live! is a Cinco de Mayo concert that, this year, will benefit the Farmworkers Pandemic Relief Fund. Lots of people and organizations are stepping up to assist the most vulnerable -- read this week’s Weekly Win, below, for a rundown. But before that, here are some additional reads that MCN staff shared this week.

Del: “A ruling on DACA by the Supreme Court will be made between now and June 30, 2020. DACA recipients are encouraged to renew their deferred action and ILRC has created resources to help folks through the application process.”

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Karen shared the article, “Advocates with mask donation turned away from San Diego immigration detention center.”

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Kaethe shared a piece that emphasizes the need for community-centered primary care: Our hospital’s community management strategy for Covid-19 works. Yours can, too.

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Amy also shared, “Migrant child died after release from detention, attorneys group alleges.”

Amy shared an article covering a study where “half of the 71 agricultural workers in a Stemilt Ag Services housing facility near East Wenatchee have tested positive for COVID-19. All 36 were asymptomatic prior to testing and are now isolated in the housing facility...It’s one of the first wide-scale tests of asymptomatic people in North Central Washington and believed to be the first of agriculture workers.”

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Weekly Win: Altísimo Live! isn’t the only one getting resources to farmworkers. Some local government, philanthropic partners, and individuals are stepping up to support those who have been left behind during this pandemic. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged millions in aid for Californians who lack documentation status, matched by $50 million from private donors, and which will be distributed through community-based nonprofits. People are donating masks to farmworkers in Idaho and caravaning to provide donations to farmworkers in San Jose, California. MCN’s board member Dr. Eva Galvez successfully pushed Oregon state OSHA to enact emergency protections for her state’s farmworkers. And HIPGive and Justice for Migrant Women have partnered to raise funds for farmworkers; over $219,000 has been raised so far, and more to come from the Altísimo Live concert, to be distributed through local migrant and farmworker organizations across the country, including many of MCN’s regional collaborators. The fundraising effort is running for another month, so now is a great time to share with friends and family, and to donate.

Have a safe and healthy weekend.