Five on Friday: Farmworkers Impacted by Wildfire Smoke

Terrifying heat fueled by the climate disaster, the spread of COVID-19 variants, smoke spreading across the US from megafires hundreds of miles away – these terrible events don’t just endanger our health; they expose underlying inequities that increase health risks for certain people. Immigrants, migrants, and asylum seekers already encounter significant barriers to essential basic care. As disaster piles onto disaster, we at MCN are working hard to build structures for equitable response and recovery, to make sure that migrants aren’t left behind. For this week’s Five on Friday, have a look at some of the news and research pieces that inform our work, that we shared with each other in the last few days.

Kaethe shared an article analyzing fast food’s targeting of Black and Latinx youth, from BELatina. The Latinx and Black Community’s Value in the Food and Beverage Industry

Amy noted that the FDA’s possible approval of the Pfizer vaccine as early as next month may be a gamechanger in terms of mandates -- certainly something to watch. FDA Aiming to Give Final Approval to Pfizer Vaccine by Early Next Month

Amy also shared a new article from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that focuses on California farmworkers and core body temperatures. Are Cal/OSHA Regulations Protecting Farmworkers in California From Heat-Related Illness?

Del shared one of several Delta-related New York Times articles with titles ending with a question mark – emphasizing how early we are in our understanding of the Delta transmission but outlining what we are starting to learn, including the troubling finding that vaccinated people with breakthrough infections appear to be shedding large volumes of the virus. Behind the Masks, a Mystery: How Often Do the Vaccinated Spread the Virus?

Weekly Win: The immense pressures on farmworkers in the last year – from rising temperatures and excessive exposure to smoke, to working through COVID outbreaks without proper PPE – has given rise to new organizations demanding better working conditions. Claire shared an article on California’s North Bay Jobs with Justice, which has outlined five priorities it intends to present to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors: Language justice, disaster insurance, community safety observers, hazard pay, and clean bathrooms and water. California North Coast Farmworker Group Compiles List of Demands Amid Virus, Smoke

Have a safe and healthy weekend!

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