This past July I went as a chaperone with a group of girls from Morrow's Youth Group to Immokalee, Florida. The town of Immokalee suffers immense poverty and consists mostly of immigrants from Guatemala, Haiti, and Mexico. Many work on the farms and deal with horrific working and living conditions. They provide 90% of the United States tomato supply, and big businesses like Walmart, McDonald's, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Publix use their labor.
The farm workers are given 55 cents (some 65 cents) per 32 pound bucket of tomatoes. This is modern day slavery, and with many of these hard workers being undocumented, they are afraid to speak out. Our week here allowed us to meet a couple volunteers from AmeriCorps, students and children from Immokalee, men who use to work on the farms, and several people who grew up in Immokalee who have a great vision for their town's future.
Through this photo series, I want to show how beautiful and vibrant the town is, even with the people having next to nothing. The saturated colors caught my attention immediately; it shows the spirit and the strength this town carries. Many were generous with their stories; proud of what they have achieved but still knowing Immokalee has a long way to go.
I am incredibly blessed and thankful for this experience, for opening my eyes to the hardships so many face. This small town is filled with hope, filled with beautiful children and dreamers. Their voices need to be heard.
The farm workers are given 55 cents (some 65 cents) per 32 pound bucket of tomatoes. This is modern day slavery, and with many of these hard workers being undocumented, they are afraid to speak out. Our week here allowed us to meet a couple volunteers from AmeriCorps, students and children from Immokalee, men who use to work on the farms, and several people who grew up in Immokalee who have a great vision for their town's future.
Through this photo series, I want to show how beautiful and vibrant the town is, even with the people having next to nothing. The saturated colors caught my attention immediately; it shows the spirit and the strength this town carries. Many were generous with their stories; proud of what they have achieved but still knowing Immokalee has a long way to go.
I am incredibly blessed and thankful for this experience, for opening my eyes to the hardships so many face. This small town is filled with hope, filled with beautiful children and dreamers. Their voices need to be heard.
