Farmworkers Self-Help, Inc.

Farmworkers Self-Help, Inc. (FSH), located in Dade City, Pasco County, Florida, was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in 1982. It was organized as a grassroots effort by immigrant Mexican and Mexican-American migrant farmworkers and former farmworkers to find solutions to the problems of the farmworker population. The original impetus for organizing was the abusive tactics of the U.S. Border Patrol toward the Hispanic population. The immediate area of organizing interest is Pasco County and parts of surrounding counties, and we also work in partnership with organizations in other areas of the state and country on common issues affecting farmworkers and other poor. FSH facilitates self-development, self-help, grassroots organizing, participation and leadership development, and seeks to bridge the gap between isolation and societal mainstreams, while preserving cultural heritage. It is committed to farmworkers and other poor taking charge of their own lives and destinies. Direct maintenance services such as emergency food and clothing, shelter assistance, medical assistance and immigration assistance are provided because of the tremendous local need, but the majority of our efforts and programs work toward facilitating the self-development of the whole person toward self-reliance and personal independence, through community organizing, education, advocacy, justice and empowerment.

OUR CONSTITUENCY

Our constituency is made up primarily of approximately 15,000 farmworkers, the poorest of the poor, who live in Pasco County and parts of surrounding counties. Most are immigrant Mexican and Mexican-American migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and some are immigrant Central American migrant workers. Many are undocumented and cannot access government assistance programs. Most do not speak, read or write English, and many do not read or write their native language.

Some of our organizations’ accomplishments:

ORGANIZING, WORKERS' RIGHTS, RACIAL EQUALITY, GENDER EQUALITY, JUSTICE, ADVOCACY, EMPOWERMENT, REPRESENTATION, ACCESS: In 1983, FSH was instrumental in causing the dismissal of seven agents of the Border Patrol who had engaged in abusive tactics. We organized a special group of farmworkers who became the frontline fighters for immigration reform at the local level. We have made many trips to the state capitol and to Washington, D.C. over the years to meet with legislators and to work on farmworker and poverty issues. In 1991 and 1992, we worked very hard to get the Migrant Camp Access Bill passed in the state legislature, but could not overcome the power and influence of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the House Agriculture Chairman. We did not give up, however, and were able to get it passed in 1993. We worked hard to get the Pesticide Right-to-know Bill passed in 1994 after having worked on it for two years. In 2001, we formed a coalition with four other farmworker groups in Florida, to provide a more united effort in advocating for farmworker rights and equality. The coalition, which we named Florida Farmworkers for Justice, organized a twenty-two mile march to the governor's mansion, organized multi-organization marches against Taco Bell in support of raising wages for picking tomatoes, and worked together on farmworker-related actions in the state legislature. In 2002, after having worked on it for two years, we were able, with the help of State Senator Miller and State Representative Peterman, to get the Farmworker Paycheck Protection Bill passed through the state legislature. Now, farmworkers allover Florida cannot be charged by farm labor contractors or have deducted from their wages the cost of tools, equipment, transportation or recruiting fees determined to be to the benefit of the employer. In 2005, we were able to get stronger regulation of crew leaders, requirements that they be tested to receive or renew their licenses, and increased penalties for farm labor crew leader violations. We were also able to get increased monies for death benefits in worker compensation claims, making it the same as for other workers, thereby ending discrimination in that area of law. In 2006, we were able to get the Transportation Safety Bill for Farmworkers passed that will require seatbelts in and vehicle inspections on vans that transport farmworkers, and stickers displayed on the windshields as evidence the vans have been inspected. Working with other farmworker organizations and advocates, we revived the state Commission on Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. With the help of the three state senators and representatives on that Commission, we had a much stronger voice in this year's legislative session and built a stronger foundation that should make it easier for our constituency to be heard in the coming sessions.

Our promised federal/county $20-million-dollar infrastructure improvements for our neighborhood were almost derailed by a newly-elected slate of county commissioners that did not want to honor the commitment made by former commissioners. Our continued vigilance and constant organizing of the community around the county's promise has at last come to fruition. The process of road surveys by the county has been done in preparation to beginning the long-promised and eagerly anticipated infrastructure improvements to our community. We are excited that actual work on the improvements should finally be starting in the near future, after many delays. For several years we have campaigned to bring infrastructure to our neighborhood. Finally, they will pave our streets, install streetlights and run sewer and storm water lines. We distribute newsletters periodically to keep our supporters and friends aware of issues being fought for.

HOUSING: For years, we organized meetings of low-income groups interested in home ownership, and provided assistance, translations and referral to several farmworker families who then became homeowners, a dream most of them thought would never become a reality. We continue to provide help in this area, and we continue to help lead the fight at all levels of government to improve the living environments of farmworkers.

HEALTH, COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The language barrier causes or amplifies problems in many life areas of the farmworker. Since 1979, English classes have been offered by our organization and have generally been taught by formerly undocumented farmworkers. In 1987, our women's membership organization, AWING, was formed to focus on the plight of the farmworker woman, in recognition of the fact that her situation is even worse than that of the farmworker man, because she is not noticed as his equal, she is sometimes forcibly separated from her husband by immigration law, and often cannot read or write, even in her native language. In 1987, we created the Norma Learning Center to focus on education needs. In 1996, we completed construction of our new Norma Godinez Learning Center facility with funds provided by a federal community block grant and some of our own funds. In 1991, our Norma Learning Center Education Fund was started with a gift from Mr. Irving Cramer and Ms. Susan Cramer of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and presented for the first time a college scholarship award of $500 to a local graduating high school farmworker. We continue to award scholarships. We started in 1992 to work closely with the school system to try to reduce the disproportionately high rate of dropout and suspensions among Hispanic youth. We held meetings of school officials, parents and children at our facility and continue to strengthen that program. We have now developed our Teen Dream Team Project to focus on this area of need. Our project liaison/organizers work to facilitate problem solving among our farmworker public school students, their parents, the school system and law enforcement, and we provide tutoring as well. With help from donors and volunteers, and in partnership with Resurrection House Mission, a former project of ours that was a youth mission and is now a separate corporation, we together transformed a wooded area into a neighborhood park for the community. The park is about the size of a city block, and now has a paved basketball court, a soccer/football field, a pavilion, a tee-ball field, a picnic area and a children's playground area.

We developed a free health clinic for farmworkers, and our community health outreach team goes out into the community to educate/test/screen for diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, HIV, TB, STD's and breast cancer. Our "Promotoros de Salud" (Promoters of Health) program teaches farmworker women from the community how to educate/test/screen for diseases so that they can replicate our health outreach activities in their neighborhoods and wherever they travel to on the migrant stream. We have established a partnership in health matters with doctors and medical students at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and together we helped in the development of free health clinics in Quincy and Gretna, Florida. The FSU group comes to our community several times a year and provides medical services and free medicines to farmworkers.

IMMIGRATION: From the outset, we have organized immigration meetings and have provided counseling and translation in immigration matters. In 1985, we were recognized by the Department of Justice to represent clients to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. In 1986, we assisted more than 3,400 applicants under the Immigration Reform and Control Act to become legal residents of the United States.

We organize the undocumented community around the principle of knowing their rights. We continue our efforts to get restored some of the benefits that were taken away from immigrants by government during the past several years.

EMERGENCY FOOD, CLOTHING: Since 1981, we have operated a food bank that provides food free to the needy. During the years of Border Patrol intimidation, we delivered truckloads of food, clothing and blankets to the homes of the hungry who were afraid to venture out. Since 1985, we have operated a thrift shop which sells, at very low prices, donated clothing, blankets and other household items, some furniture and appliances. Mexican dinners are prepared by AWING members and catered to churches upon invitation, as an economic project. We distribute several thousand pounds of food free to the needy each year.

CHRISTMAS FIESTA: In addition to our ongoing food programs, our Farmworker Christmas program last Christmas served over 1500 children with gifts for the children and food bags, clothing and blankets for the families.