Farm workers in Fresno County need more than PPE to survive the COVID-19 pandemic
In April, in my final semester of high school, I joined my parents working in the grape fields. I had no other choice. My family still had to pay for rent, electricity, and we still needed to eat. I would start in the fields at 6 a.m. I was balancing farm work with online classes, and I was helping take care of my two younger siblings as well.
I am not the only young person whose life has been impacted by COVID-19. I talk to my friends and classmates, and I feel like we are all in a fight for our lives and our futures. In a recent poll of 18 to 29-year-olds by Power California and Latino Decisions, one in three young people said they had lost their jobs, and almost half (46 percent) said they were having difficulty buying food, medicine, or other necessities.
We’re not asking for sympathy, but we are asking for action. Young people across our state are showing up for their families and communities as essential workers and caretakers. We deserve elected leaders who do the same.
But right now leaders are failing to provide basic support and protection to our community. In Fresno County, COVID-19 is now the No. 1 cause of death. We’re a hot spot for the virus, worse than Los Angeles. Latino residents are 56% of California’s COVID-19 cases but only 39% of the statewide population. In Merced County, corporations like Foster Farms are endangering the lives of our families and communities by refusing to comply with safety protocols. Eight families have lost loved ones as a direct result.
We are risking our lives — literally killing ourselves — to feed the nation.
A month ago, my mom started showing COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive. I remember feeling a sense of panic when my dad told me. My mom has recovered from COVID, but after she got sick we all stopped working in the fields to protect ourselves and prevent the spread.
I remember feeling angry, too. My parents work so hard for so little just trying to support their children, but they can’t take time off without pay to take care of each other. Many farm workers aren’t provided with personal protective equipment to keep them safe. Undocumented farm workers do not qualify for unemployment insurance and have received limited relief aid.
We deserve better and we deserve better leadership.
Gov. Newsom recently announced $52 million to fund strike teams in the Valley to help stop the spread of COVID-19, but we need more than that. We need rental assistance and relief, and resources directed toward testing and direct income. We need to ensure protections, benefits, and basic rights for workers at Foster Farms and beyond. And we need to invest in education and services so that young people like me can do more to help our families and ourselves.
In the poll by Power California and Latino Decisions, four out of five young people said the state should increase commercial property taxes on large companies to find new sources of revenue for schools and public services. Proposition 15, a measure on the November ballot could bring $12 billion a year to our local hospitals, public health systems and communities and is a good start.
My parents came to the Central Valley from Mexico more than 20 years ago. I have always been inspired by the close sense of community and the rich history of farm-worker organizing. It’s why I have become a youth leader in my community. I want to make sure communities like ours are treated with dignity and respect. I want to make sure we have a voice.
This November, I will be the first in my family to vote in my first election. When I vote, I will be thinking about my parents and my siblings. I will be thinking about the farm workers I see in the fields. And I will be thinking about the millions of immigrants and people of color in California and across this country who are forgotten in the halls of government. It’s time for us to have a voice.
So I say to my community: Stay safe. Stay healthy. And please vote.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 11:23 AM.