WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Florida farmworkers' rights groups say it is urgent farmworkers be deemed "essential" in Gov. Ron DeSantis' COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan.

The groups put their views in a letter to the governor in January, calling for better healthcare for farmworkers and asking that all incoming temporary, non-immigrant workers arrive vaccinated, or be vaccinated first in the U.S.

Mariana Blanco, assistant executive director of the Guatemalan Maya Center, said they also want to see an expansion of COVID-19 testing sites, since many are inaccessible to farmworkers.

"If the Health Department would provide us the vaccines and a mobile clinic, we'd be able to have volunteers and registered nurses that we already have contact with, and we'd have all the translators," Blanco suggested. "And we'd just go directly to the fields and vaccinate the farmworkers."

Blanco pointed out those in opposition assume farmworkers won't want to be vaccinated, or that doses couldn't be kept cold enough in mobile settings.

According to the Guatemalan Maya Center, 600 farmworkers and families, regularly tested for COVID-19 one night a week, had a 30% infection rate.

Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in a "Protect Farmworkers Roundtable" held Wednesday, said she and Vice President Kamala Harris toured FEMA locations last week to create smaller vaccination sites.

Blanco contended more sites are long overdue.

"We know that our community wants to get vaccinated," Blanco stressed. "We have had a waitlist for a couple of months now, and so now, it's just providing them access to this vaccine. And so, the pushback from the mobile clinic was pretty disappointing to us."

Fried is in the race for governor, and considered a top challenger of DeSantis.

The Palm Beach Health Department is working with the groups to facilitate a specific day when farmworkers could be vaccinated.

Blanco stressed there is a long road ahead to make that happen, and pointed to the challenges these workers already face to making vaccination appointments online.

"A lot of them are illiterate," Blanco explained. "A lot, most, of them don't speak English, and now having to only make the appointment online, all of it just became absolutely impossible for any of our community members to even come close to think about getting the vaccine."

Blanco added the governor hasn't yet responded to the letter.


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As today begins National Farmworker Awareness Week, North Carolina boasts the sixth-largest number of farmworkers of any state.

More than 150,000 people in the Tar Heel State are farmworkers or dependents of them.

Quirina Vallejos, executive director of the North Carolina Farmworkers Project, said the issues facing farmworkers include exposure to pesticides, inadequate housing and wage theft. But Vallejos pointed out the most pressing problem remains helping farmworkers know and defend their rights.

"Even if the workers know what their rights are, it's very challenging for them to speak up for themselves, defend their own rights," Vallejos explained. "Because if they're undocumented, they're afraid of being reported to ICE, and I've heard of employers threatening that very thing in order to get people to do what they want."

Farmworkers in North Carolina help harvest numerous crops, including tobacco, cucumbers, apples and bell peppers. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor's National Agricultural Worker Survey found more than 40% of agricultural workers were not authorized to work in the U.S.

Vallejos argued strong enforcement of existing regulations would best help farmworkers. One sort of policy lawmakers in many states could initiate, Vallejos suggested, would be the passage of laws to protect them from extreme heat.

"Workers are out there sunrise to sunset. That's a long time to be out in the fields and not get any breaks, not have time in the shade," Vallejos contended. "Employers should be required to be educated on emergency response to heat stress and heat-induced illnesses because that would save lives."

Carolina consumers who wish to support farmworkers, Vallejos added, could try to purchase produce from companies with strong labor standards.


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Nationwide, it is estimated about one-third of Americans either adhere to Christian Nationalist ideals or sympathize with them.

Groups working for social justice in Washington state are organizing to counter what they see as a movement harmful to democracy.

Aaron Scott, author of "Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism," is the keynote speaker at this weekend's Peace and Justice Action Conference in Spokane.

It is estimated 16% of people in Washington support Christian Nationalist ideas and although it is hardly a majority, Scott said the movement should not be disregarded.

"We can't afford to say, 'Well, we're not going to really deal with that stuff, that's a side conversation,'" Scott explained. "Because clearly we are now in a moment where it is not a side conversation. It is the central conversation."

Scott noted white Christian Nationalist groups embed in rural areas, building churches and securing funds to win local elections. Their beliefs often appear as anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ. He pointed out the ideology thrives where voter suppression and disengagement are high and encouraged people to stay engaged in their communities.

Christian Nationalists want the U.S. to be declared a Christian nation, with laws based on their far-right values. Though the ideas can seem threatening, Scott stressed arguing with strangers is usually not an effective way to change someone's mind. Instead, he suggested having direct, thoughtful conversations within trusting relationships, reinforcing their values of honesty and compassion.

"You can do things like point to the way this person lives their lives and the values that you know they hold, and highlight, like, 'This does not seem aligned with this,'" Scott advised.

Scott, who also works with the Episcopal Church, emphasized the core of Christianity runs counter to the ideas of Christian Nationalism. He added many Christian groups recognize the movement provides cover for white supremacy and are concerned about the threat it may pose to their religious communities as well as democracy. Scott acknowledged it takes time and commitment to counter extreme ideologies.


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In a nationwide movement, Latinos are being urged to boycott retail stores tomorrow that have curtailed programs promoting fair hiring practices.

The diversity, equity and inclusion framework has been a cornerstone for many large retailers for several decades but attacks by President Donald Trump and the GOP have led such giants as Walmart, Target, McDonald's and others to scale back their DEI initiatives.

Caroline Tso Chen, associate professor of taxation at San Jose State University, said one person might not be able to make a huge difference but if 20% of people joined "Latino Freeze Day," the effect would be substantial.

"By basically telling those companies, we do not approve of what you are doing and we will take our money and we will spend it elsewhere," Tso Chen explained.

The annual purchasing power of Latinos in the U.S. continues to grow, now topping more than $3 trillion. New Mexico is among the top 10 states with the largest Hispanic/Latino buying power, which has increased due to population growth, labor force participation and educational attainment.

DEI programs have been around since the 1960s and are meant to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups historically underrepresented or subject to discrimination. As an Asian woman, Tso Chen noted she knows what it is like, but added Friday's boycott would need to be just the beginning.

"You can't make this just February 28," Tso Chen stressed. "In order to make any sort-of significant economic impact to any of these retailers, it is going to have to be for an extended period of time."

The Latino Freeze Movement is encouraging supporters to find alternative ways to purchase what they need at other retailers, including local stores, swap meets, farmers markets, secondhand stores or negotiating trades.


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