Tuesday, March 31. 2009
Farmworker Awareness Week (FAW)
is a nation-wide week of action for students and community members to raise
awareness about farm worker issues on their campuses and in their communities.
Every
year FAW takes place during the week of Cesar Chavez' birthday, March 31st,
to honor his legacy as a leader of he farm worker movement.
FAW is organized by Student Action with
Farm Workers and sponsored by farm worker unions and community organizations, such
as the National Farm Worker Ministry and its Youth and Young Adult Network.
1. Why do we celebrate FAW?
2. Are there any events taking place in
my community?
3. Ideas for a FWA event
4. Spread the word about FWA |
1. Why do
we celebrate Farmworker Awareness Week?
 -We
are connected to farm workers everyday because we all consume food,
much of it planted and harvested by farm workers, yet farm workers remain largely
invisible and continue to live and work in unacceptable conditions.
- Farm work
is the third most dangerous job in the U.S., yet, the people who plant and
harvest our fruits and vegetables lack many of
the basic worker protections that most of us take for granted.
Things like overtime, unemployment insurance, even protection when joining
a union, are not guaranteed under federal law.
-Farm workers deserve fair wages. We know that farm
work is hard work. It is skilled work, and it's work that feeds our families
every day. We must work so their wages allow them to feed their families,
too.
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2. Are there
any events taking place in my community?
You can check the FAW
calendar to learn
about events that are taking all over the country. |
3. Ideas for a FWA event  Organize an event in your school, church or community
in support of farmworkers! These are some of the things that you can do:
- Organize a fundraising party or concert for
the National Farm Worker Ministry or the farm worker organization of
your choice.
-
Organize issue discussions,
lectures or presentations in your school or church.
-
Host a screening
of farm worker films and
documentaries.
-
Set-up a table of information
- Hold a candlelight vigil in
support of workers.
-
Get articles and editorials in the school or local newspaper
- Participate in an interfaith service that
draws attention to issues of farm workers’ rights.
-
Make banners and signs to hang around
your campus, in community centers or around your city.
-
Organize a group
to go gleaning to near-by fields.
- Make others in your community aware of
the National Farm Worker Awareness Week.
Need more ideas? Check out what we have done in the past:
 -
2008 YAYAs FWA events:
1. In Florida
2.
In California
3.
In Colombia
- YAYA's
2009 FWA page
- YAYA's
2010 FWA page
Contact us for
ideas, materials and support!
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4. Spread the word about FWA
Tell others about FWA and invite them to the events taking
place in their community!
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