Chávez is known for leading the grape strike and boycott on
behalf of workers who toiled for meager wages under appalling
conditions.
César Chávez Day a time to reflect on protecting
immigrant workers' rights
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Matt Boles Read the full piece here
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Friend,
This Sunday, March 31, is César Chávez Day, a time for
me and my colleagues to reflect on the work the Southern Poverty Law
Center is doing to represent immigrants who have been exploited in the
U.S. while laboring in the fields as agricultural workers.
The commemoration, which coincides with the labor activist's
birthday, was proclaimed by President Barack Obama in 2014
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. Chávez is known for leading the grape strike and boycott on
behalf of workers who toiled for meager wages under appalling
conditions in the fields of California in the 1960s.
Several decades later, exploitation of immigrant workers remains an
issue. The SPLC has long recognized the importance of agricultural
workers in the United States and has advocated for their rights in
various ways, such as publishing the Close to Slavery
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report, which highlights the systematic exploitation of immigrant
workers in the H-2 guestworker program. The report was originally
published in 2007 - attracting national media attention to the
issue - and updated in 2013.
What's more, the SPLC has filed dozens of lawsuits against
employers for their roles in exploiting agricultural workers. More
recently, we have represented workers who are survivors of a
transnational human smuggling and labor trafficking operation that
lured Mexican and Central American workers into brutal conditions on
South Georgia farms. It's not just the difficult work;
it's the dilapidated and unsafe housing, threats from bosses,
underpaid wages
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- if any at all - broken promises and not having your
passport in your possession, among other issues.
In 2021, the SPLC filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor
after workers came forward about abusive practices on farms in South
Georgia. The SPLC represents several survivors in their applications
for immigration relief, restitution and other benefits due to the
labor-trafficking scheme.
Read More
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In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
The SPLC is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond,
working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy,
strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of
all people.
Friend, will you make a gift to help the SPLC fight for
justice and equity in courts and combat white supremacy?
Donate Now
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