mission paths
Taking Class to the Central Valley
Students learn about farmworkers and community organizing on an alternative spring break trip.
By Francis Villalpando
The California Central Valley — the “fruit basket of the world” — is not the typical spring vacation destination. But LMU students chose to spend their March break in a region of the state famous for both its agriculture industry and its role in the history of farmworkers’ rights.
For eight days, 12 undergraduates traveled across the valley, toured farms and heard first-hand about the life of California’s farm laborers. They also stayed with host families, making the trip a 24/7 immersion experience.
“Alternative Breaks are about cultural immersion, living in solidarity and building friendships that put a face to the issues,” said Joanne Majewski, Alternative Breaks program coordinator in LMU’s Center for Service and Action. The CSA offered students a choice of 10 trips this past spring, including programs in Chicago and New York as well as El Salvador and Mexico.
The use of pesticides is one of the greatest concerns of people living in the Central Valley, said senior Jay Thrasher, who learned about one particularly disturbing incident that occurred in Earlimart, just north of Bakersfield, in 1999.
“We heard from women who were victims of the effects of pesticide sprays,” said Thrasher. “They were hosed down with fire truck hoses not only against their will, but were forced to strip naked in front of their families and wandering eyes of the community. The humiliation and pain from this detox process made it appear to be a concentration camp.”
Students also discovered that using pesticides on crop fields near homes and schools is a significant health concern. “The crops go right up to the homes. … Where is the morality of farmers who just care about profits?” asked Thrasher. Fumes cause nausea and eye irritation and over the years have created a high rise in asthma cases, he added.
The trip was coordinated with The Dolores Huerta Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Bakersfield that works for fair and equal access to healthcare, education, housing and jobs for disadvantaged people in the Central Valley. Dolores Huerta, a longtime activist in the Central Valley, did everything from organizing pickers to negotiating contracts. Together with Cesar Chavez, she founded the National Farm Workers Association, later known as United Farm Workers. The students met with Huerta during their stay, and foundation staff members gave the group an in-depth look at the history of the area and the dynamics of community organizing.
Senior Melissa Daugherty, a student leader on the trip, said that although much has changed since Chavez’s efforts for farmworker rights, the situation is still far from perfect. “As a political science major, I felt the experience showed me the negative effects of creating policies that only benefit those on top,” Daugherty said.
“I felt like the experience was a training in a way,” explained Thrasher. “The ideas of empowering people and the importance of ground-up community organizing are cvoncepts we will be able to apply to our own lives.”