Tag Archives: pesticides

Workers Memorial Week Reflection

“Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate … Continue reading

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Socioeconomic Status and Life Expectancy: Can Job Training Improve the Odds for Farmworkers?

Many facets of life are affected by socioeconomic status. These include quality of education and health care, job benefits, such as paid time off and sick leave, access to transportation and services, and many more.  One you may not have … Continue reading

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Demanding Equality and Respect for the Women Who Feed America

March is the month during which National Farmworker Awareness Week and César Chávez Day take place—two very important events in the farmworker community. It is also the month the United States pays tribute to the many women who have made … Continue reading

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Farmworkers’ Part in Sustainable Agriculture Conversation

By Jimi Patalano, Communications Intern, AFOP Recently, sustainability has become a buzzword in a variety of fields and industries—energy, manufacturing, and transportation are a few noteworthy examples. Widespread realization of the looming dangers of climate change to the economy, the … Continue reading

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National Farmworker Awareness Week 2013

For those of us dedicated to supporting and advocating for the estimated 2.5 million farmworkers in our county who harvest the foods we consume every day, National Farmworker Awareness Week (March 24-31) is a very special time. It not only gives … Continue reading

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AFOP Honors Congressional Champions

At its Thursday, February 14 congressional reception, AFOP presented its President’s Award to United States Representatives John Tierney of Massachusetts and Rubén Hinojosa of Texas for their continuing commitment to ensure farmworkers and their families have a shot at achieving … Continue reading

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Further Action Needed to Protect Farmworkers

This week we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), which was signed into law on January 14, 1983. The landmark legislation serves as the backbone of protections afforded to our nation’s farmworkers. … Continue reading

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2012: A Year of Victories and Challenges

I joined the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs this past September, taking over for retiring executive director David Strauss, who had served as the organization’s leader for the last 11 years.  I was faced with the challenge of learning about … Continue reading

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Farmworkers at Higher Risk for Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative condition of the central nervous system that causes tremors in the body, difficulty walking, and trouble coordinating movements. In later stages, the disease also causes emotional and cognitive problems such as depression, hallucination, memory loss, … Continue reading

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Poisoning our Children

“Within five minutes, I had noted multiple cleft palates and several children with apparent Down Syndrome…. It was shocking and disturbing to walk into a room with a group of parents and children that easily represented three to four times the national … Continue reading

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