Protecting Those Who Feed America: Coachella County Vaccinates Farmworkers
Protecting Those Who Feed America: Coachella County Vaccinates Farmworkers
By Susan MacLaury
There’s very welcome news out of Coachella Valley, CA, one of the most important agricultural areas in the country and now the first county in the US to bring the COVID-19 vaccine directly to farmworkers. This is a huge development for those who feed America, especially since it’s available to all, regardless of whether they’re documented. It ensures that workers who might otherwise not have been able to schedule appointments, or travel to keep them, will be safe. To date, thousands have been vaccinated at pop-up vaccination sites in this effort co-hosted by food growers and the local health department.
Traditionally, those who lack citizenship have been fearful of applying for any type of US governmental programs. The vaccination program, which began in January, took months of planning and community organizing to assuage fears among workers both about the vaccine’s effects as well as possible legal consequences of being vaccinated. It’s being hosted by local growers and the county health department.
This move is essential as in some areas of the US more than 40% of farm workers have tested positive for the virus. A recent study by Purdue University found that more than 500,000 have tested positive and 9,000+ have died.
These are the families we documented in The Harvest (La Cosecha) in 2010 with the support of executive producer Eva Longoria. Just today, one such young worker, Gianna Nino, is the subject of our “Shining a Light” series.
We are proud to add our voices to those who publicize the sacrifices made by hundreds of thousands of migrant working families who labor under harsh conditions for little pay, suffering the effects of pesticides, farm injuries, extreme weather, and very poor living conditions, often also worrying about possible arrest and deportation. Here’s to Coachella County and the hope that many other local governments will follow their example.
Susan MacLaury
Executive Director and Co-Founder of Shine Global
- Shine Global Partners With U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar For Historic Immigration Reform Event In Washington, D.C.
- Shine Global Announces 2023 Children’s Resilience in Film Award Honorees
- Home Is Somewhere Else Wins Ariel Award for Best Animated Feature
- Nominees for 2023 Annual Children’s Resilience in Film Awards
- Meet Shine Global's Summer 2023 Interns: Piper Ackerman and Yuri Kim
- Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts Announces Winner of a Spotlight on Children’s Resilience with Shine Global
In 1992, Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress. Last year, she became the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 “cardinals,” or chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee. Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is author of The Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE) to address abusive and exploitative child labor practices in agriculture. She is a prominent advocate for children and families as co-chair of the Maternity Care Caucus, vice chair of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and vice chair of the Task Force on Aging and Families. She is also an original co-author of The Dream Act, which would allow certain U.S.-raised immigrant youth to earn lawful permanent residence and eventual American citizenship. In 2019, she introduced the newest version of this bill: HR 6, The Dream and Promise Act.
Zulema Lopez is a Michigan State university Graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Human Capital and Society from the Human Resources And Labor Relations college at MSU. Throughout her 23 years she has been able to overcome the harsh obstacles she faced as a migrant farm worker and has used her platform to advocate for child labor laws. Zulema participated in the documentary The Harvest (La Cosecha) at age 12, in which her life as a child migrant worker was documented to show the underlying issues of the child labor in the US. In 2018 she was a guest panelist at the 107th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland where she spoke on the issues of child labor in the US. Most recently in 2019, Zulema returned to her home state of Texas to attend two conferences where she shared her story to help motivate students with a similar background. Zulema continues to be a child labor activist in hopes that there will be change to come.
Norma Flores López grew up as a child of a migrant farmworker family from South Texas. She began working in the fields at the age of 12, where she continued working until she graduated from high school. She has long been an active advocate for migrant farmworker children’s rights and continues to raise awareness on issues affecting the farmworker community. Norma serves on the Board of Directors for the National Consumers League, is the chair of the Child Labor Coalition’s Domestic Issues Committee, and the representative for the United States on the Board of Directors for Global March Against Child Labour. Prior to joining Justice for Migrant Women, Norma was the Governance and Development/Collaboration Manager at East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, a co-founder of The Foundation for Farmworkers, served on the Board of Directors for the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association, and was director of the Children in the Fields Campaign at the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs.
Susan executive produced The Harvest (La Cosecha) as well as the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated documentary War/Dance, the Academy Award® Winner Inocente, 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, and Liyana. She is also the producer of The Wrong Light and Virtually Free. Susan is in charge of the educational outreach and social advocacy efforts for all of Shine Global’s films. She is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.
Roberto Romano was an award winning photographer, filmmaker, and human rights educator. He worked on human rights projects with such organizations as GoodWeave, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The International Labor Organization, Stop the Traffik, The Hunger Project, and The Council on Foreign Relations, among others. He was the Director, Producer, and Director of Photography of The Harvest (La Cosecha). His other film credits include: Dark Side of Chocolate (Director of Photography) about slavery in the West Africa cocoa trade; Stolen Childhoods (Producer, Director, and Director of Photography) about child labor. His powerful photography was also published in many prestigious newspapers and magazines and featured in many galleries and shows.
Shine Global is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media company with the mission to give voice to children and their families by telling stories of their resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. Since founding in 2005, we’ve produced and supported over 15 films about children and families and run educational and engagement campaigns that have a real world impact. Our films include the Oscar-winning short doc
Justice For Migrant Women protects and advances migrant women’s rights through education, public awareness and advocacy. Justice for Migrant Women aims to ensure that all migrant women are guaranteed human and civil rights, including the freedom of mobility, the ability to live and work with dignity, and the right to be free of threats of violence against them and their families, whether they are migrating across borders, around regions or within states. 
The Latinx House is a gathering place for people who appreciate and support the Latinx community and who celebrate Latinx excellence in film and entertainment. We are also a space to discuss pressing societal issues and the content creation related to these stories. We will provide engagement, activation and community building opportunities. 
