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Series: Labor Day Special Episode 2 Episode Description: “If we were smart as a country, we would look at all of these immigrants that are new citizens of the United States, and look at all of these food production methods and skills that they bring. We would have better food security by including the immigrant farmers in the decision-making on how food production is going to be developed for the future is hitting us really hard with climate change.” —Rosalinda Guillen Farming is the backbone of our communities, yet too often, the hard-working men and women who toil in the fields are overlooked and undervalued. But a growing movement is changing that narrative, empowering farmers to take the reins and shape a more sustainable, equitable food system. Community to Community (C2C), founded by Rosalinda Guillen, is a pioneering organization that empowers farm workers and immigrant communities to lead the charge in building a more sustainable, equitable, and community-driven food system. In this episode, Justine and Rosalinda discuss the challenges and barriers in organizing farm workers, the integration of immigrant farmers' practices, the vision for community farms and food security, the role of regenerative agriculture in addressing climate change, and Rosalinda's hopes for the future of empowering farmers and transforming the food system. Connect with Rosalinda: Rosalinda Guillen (she/hers) is the founder of Community to Community and a lead strategist and visionary within the non-hierarchical ecofeminist leadership of C2C. Her perspective is fundamentally influenced by her introduction to the multi-racial, working-class community organizing model of the Rainbow Coalition, the Cesar Chavez house meeting model, The World Social Forum, the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil and growing up a farmworker in La Conner, WA. Rosalinda has organized farmworkers in WA State and the strawberry fields of Salinas CA. She has represented farmworkers in the Legislatures of California and Washington State and in ongoing policy and Movement dialogues on immigration issues, climate change, labor rights, trade agreements, ecofeminism, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement towards a Solidarity Economy. Website Facebook Instagram Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Episode Highlights: 01:30 What is C2C? 09:18 Learning How to Organize a Community 11:54 Creating a New Narrative 18:09 Getting Into Consensus 21:49 Agricultural Lessons From Immigrant Farmers 26:50 The Answer is in Collaboration 30:45 The Role of Regenerative Agriculture
In this episode, Liz, Kira, and Elias talk about the new Hunger Games movie, the Black Friday strike at Macy's, and an acceptance speech that Rosalinda Guillen gave for the ACLU Washington Dwell in Possibility Award. Check out the full award ceremony here. Rosalinda's section begins at 1:28:00.Music from the episode:Which Side Are You On? by Peter Seeger A Spell, A Prayer by Corinne Bailey Rae Support the show
In this episode, Liz Darrow and Rosalinda Guillen speak with Shirley Williams and Sandy Fugami about an upcoming walk that will take place on August 6th to remember Honesto Ibarra, a farmworker who died working in unsafe conditions. The conversation weaves together narratives of displacement and assimilation that are felt similarly among many marginalized communities in Whatcom County. From Honesto Ibarra, to James Okubo, these stories verge on forgotten yet are central to our understanding of our place and time together.Join us on August 6th at 10am! Meet at 1600 H Street, where we will begin the walk. Resources from the episode:Whiteswan Environmental website Whiteswan House of Healing petition Music from the episode:Pido a la Paz by Rosa Martha Zarate MacíasSupport the show
In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, with the rest of the Community to Community leadership team, guides us through the white supremacist forces that shape local civic engagement. While engagement looks different for everyone, these forces often invalidate and silence marginalized communities. Out of this framework, Community to Community endorses Liz Darrow and Lucy Madrigal in the race for Bellingham and Mount Vernon city councils respectively. You will hear directly from them about their progressive platforms, and how the future of electoral politics will include the voices of all people, not just the privileged few. Support Liz and Lucy's campaigns here:https://www.lizdarrow.com/https://www.lucy4ward1.com/ Music from the episode:Youth Against Fascism by Sonic Youth If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next by Manic Street Preachers Echo by Incubus Support the show
In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Australia Tobon, and Liz Darrow discuss the corporate ag bill, SB 5476, which is yet another attempt to decimate farmworker overtime before it has even been fully implemented. If passed, SB 5476 would allow growers to choose any 12 week period to deny farmworkers overtime pay.THE DEADLINE TO OPPOSE THIS BILL IS THURSDAY FEB 9TH at 7 am. Sign in "Con" to officially register your opposition to this bill.Read more about the history of the fight for farmworker overtime.Email Senator Keiser and tell her not to move this bill forward.Music in this episode:No nos moverán · La Rondalla Amerindia de AztlánWatch the Historic Case Wins Overtime for Dairy Workers video from Columbia Legal Services.Watch the Video Poemas produced in collaboration with the California Institute for Rural Studies, the COVID-19 Farmworker Study Collective, and Campesinos from California, Oregon, and Washington.Support the show
On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Dani speaks to Rosalinda Guillen, the Founder of Community to Community. They talk about confronting the harm caused by conventional agriculture, the effects of the worsening climate crisis on farm workers' health, and why depriving farm workers of the right to organize weakens the food system—and the country. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” wherever you consume your podcasts.
In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Tara Villalba, Aline Prata and Liz Darrow talk about perspectives on migration, organizing for an immigrant resource center, and a community wide art project that you can take part in!Songs in this episode:El Derecho de Vivir en Paz by Victor JaraPido a la Paz by Rosa Martha Zárate MacíasUs by Ruby IbarraSupport the show
In this episode Rosalinda Guillen talks with Ali Jensen of the Whatcom Food System Committee, Laura Ridenour of the Whatcom Food Network, Tina McKim from Birchwood Food Desert Fighters and Mike Cohen of the Bellingham Food Bank about the history of the Food System Committee and the efforts being made toward equitable and sustainable food access for all people living in Whatcom County.More information about the Whatcom Food System Committee hereDirect link to the community survey for the Food System Plan hereFollow the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters on Twitter @BFDFighters or email them at birchwoodfooddesert@gmail.comSign up to volunteer with the community garden or mini farm hereSign up to help with BFDF weekend food distribution/Share Spot hereMore information about the Bellingham Food Bank hereSongs in this episode:Jambalaya by Fats DominoGimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer by Bessie SmithCrime to be Broke in America by SpearheadResilient by Rising AppalachiaPray by Jimmie AllenSupport the show
While C2C and FUJ were supporting workers on the strike line in Skagit Valley in late March, the Ag Industry wasted no time weaving new tales about the nefarious reasons for unions and farmworker advocacy. In this episode, Brenda Bentley, Rosalinda Guillen, and Liz Darrow talk about the reasons behind carefully crafted anti-worker propaganda and also offer a sneak peak into their own reasons for organizing (spoiler alert: it's not about money).Songs in this episode:Ay Que Bonita es la Vida by Rosa Martha Zárate MacíasLa Feria de las Flores by Jorge NegreteTiptoe Thru the Tulips with Me by Tiny TimTake This Job and Shove It by Willie Nelson and Johnny Paycheck*photo by Bodi Hallet (Sattva Photo)Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
The Rainbow Coalition was an antiracist, anticlass multicultural movement founded April 4, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois by Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party, along with William "Preacherman" Fesperman of the Young Patriots Organization and José Cha Cha Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords. The Whatcom County chapter was founded in the late 1980s. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Maury Foisey and Hue Beattie look back on the Whatcom County Rainbow Coalition and how it became the foundation for future organizing efforts.Songs in this episode:Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles MingusSolidarity Forever by Pete SeegerFingertips by Little Stevie WonderCompared to What by Les McCann and Eddie HarrisSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
On President's Day, The US Customs and Immigration Services released a statement announcing and celebrating the president's plan to expand the H2A labor program as an answer to widening calls for immigration reform. The memo is deeply problematic and at the same time not at all surprising.In this episode, Lelo Juarez, Rosalinda Guillen, and David Bacon respond to the memo and discuss the damage that an already unmitigated labor exploitation program is doing to families in the US and in other countries that are impacted by upside down US policies.Read the Dignity Campaign's statement on Abolishing H2A here.Songs in this episode:Dark Eyes by Lila DownsEl Conchinito by Los Jornaleros Del NorteMany thanks to Rosa Martha Zarate Macias for our theme music. Find more music from Rosa here.Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
This episode begins with a panel discussion with Mateo Nube from Movement Generation, Rosalinda Guillen from C2C, and TraeAnna Holiday from King County Equity Now that took place as part of Front and Centered's Just Transition Summit in December 2021. It's a good reminder of what we are talking about when we talk about a Just Transition, especially as that term is used more and more in political spaces that are not aligned with the actual meaning of the words.Following that conversation, Rosalinda checks in with Aurora Martin and Rebecca Rosado from Front and Centered, who recently visited us in Bellingham.Watch the Front and Centered Summit intro here.Songs in this Episode:Stand Up for Something by Andra Day feat. CommonIt's a Good Day (to Fight the System) by ShungudzoWake Up Everybody by Harold Melvin and the Blue NotesSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Welcome to Season 8! The legislative session just opened in Washington State and already Republicans and Democrats have introduced a bill which would erode overtime for farmworkers, on the first working day that the new overtime law went into effect. Rosalinda Guillen, Edgar Franks, Lelo Juarez and Liz Darrow talk about why this bill must die before it gets a hearing and how you can help make that happen.Also in this episode: an update on flood relief, Lelo's inaugural Immigration Advisory Board meeting, and which movies we think you should add to your watch list.Contact Chairman of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, Mike Sells, and tell him not to give this bill a hearing:mike.sells@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7840Contact your state representatives and ask them to vote "no" on HB 1750 if it does get a hearing.Songs in this episode:Five Feet High and Rising by Johnny CashFronteras by Gaby MorenoFortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater RevivalLaughing by David CrosbySupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In a busy industrial park just off the freeway in Ferndale exists an unmarked ICE detention facility that has been operating under the radar in Whatcom County since 2018. We first heard about the facility from community members who were held there as part of the Granite Precast ICE raid. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow talk about how prisons like this are allowed to exist in public spaces without public knowledge, and building the campaign to get ICE OUT of our community.Songs in this episode:Ave Que Emigra by Gaby MorenoTodos Somos Ilegales by Residente, Tom Morello and Chad SmithGet the Balance Right by Depeche ModeRelated reading:Whatcom Immigration Justice Timeline: Community Organizing Toward a Bellingham Immigration Advisory BoardSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In this episode Rosalinda Guillen talks with Sascha Fischel, who spent many years learning from CECOSESOLA (Cooperativa Central de Servicios Sociales del Estado Lara) in Venezuela.Songs in this episode:Los Yuyas, la página de YuyachkaniEl desperatar de la historia by Ali PrimeraLatinoamérica by Calle 13 ft. Totó la Momposina, Susan Baca, Maria RitaSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In this episode longtime movement partner Jill Mangaliman talks with Rosalinda Guillen and Edgar Franks about the Climate Crisis and what is being done on the ground to create real solutions.Songs in this episode:Home by Anakbayan SeattleThe Welcome Night by Crooked ConstellationSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Approaching the 4th anniversary of the death of Honesto Silva Ibarra, Rosalinda Guillen, Edgar Franks, Lucy Lopez, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow talk about the newest emergency heat and wildfire smoke rules from L&I, federal immigration policy reform, and how the community can step up and show support for farmworker health and safety in Washington state.Song in this episode:Hot in Herre by NellyThe Heat is On by Glenn FreyYo Estoy con Chavez by Los Lobos and FriendsSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
On Thursday, June 10th, three farmworkers were violently detained on their way to work in Whatcom County. Their family members did not know where they were being held or how to contact them. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow give an update on the workers and discuss the history of the Dignity Dialogue and its purpose in the movement.Many thanks to Rosa Mathias Zárate for providing music for season 7. You can support Rosa by purchasing her music here.Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In this bilingual episode, Rosalinda Guillen interviews musician and author Rosa Marta Zárate Macias and her editor, Armando Rendón about the upcoming book, "Our Granfathers Were Braceros".Our Grandfathers Were Braceros is a dual language, Spanish and English, book on the Bracero Program, co-authored by Rosa Marta Zárate Macias and Abei Astorga Morales.The authors collected many interviews, research and witness the fact that many Braceros were never paid, however much their labor was critical to the war effort of the USA during WWII. These Braceros still await their remuneration by the USA government, more than 50 years past due.Armando Rendón, a native of San Antonio, Texas, is the award-winning author of The Adventures of Noldo books for young adults, the author of Chicano Manifesto (1971, 1996), all of which are available as e-books, and the founder/editor of "Somos en escrito The Latino Literary Online Magazine."Special thanks to Rosa Marta for providing the beautiful music for season 7 of CommunityVoz. You can support Rosa by purchasing her music here. Stay tuned here for information on the release of Our Grandfathers Were Braceros.Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen and Liz Darrow talk about honoring Mother Earth, Queering Ecofeminism, and moving beyond the binary. Happy Mother's Day to all the caretakers out there, whatever that looks like.Queering Ecofeminism talk with Asme OurkiyaSongs in this episode:PARAD(w/me)E by Sylvan EssoSOS by Will.I.AmNow that the Buffalo's Gone by Buffy St MarieAll the Good Girls Go to Hell by Billie EilishMy City Was Gone by the PretendersLa Patria Madrina by Lila DownsUnder Pressure by Queen and David BowieUtopian Futures by Kimya DawsonSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
C2C's resident artivist, Brenda Bentley, interviews Rosalinda Guillen about growing up in the fields of Skagit Valley and the art work of her father, Jesus Guillen.You can see the exhibition of Jesus' artwork at the Skagit County Historical Museum from now until May 23rd.Songs in this episode:Summertime by Ella FitzgeraldSabor a Mi by Eydie Gormé & Tril Los PanchosSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow go into the end of the 2021 Legislative Session with fingers crossed and gratitude for those who have worked hard on our issues at the State Capitol. Stay tuned for part two of this episode, where we will reflect on where the final votes landed.songs in this episode:Dark Eyes by Lila DownsHouses in Motion by Talking HeadsSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen talks with Myrna Martinez Nateras from the American Friends Service Committee about proposed immigration reform legislation and longterm community organizing strategy.Read more about the seven principles of A New Path here.Read Myrna's article about the struggles for immigrant women here.Find more information about the Immigration Advisory Board here.Find more information about the Agricultural and Seasonal Workforce Service Advisory committee here.Songs in this episode:Todavia Cantamos by Mercedes SosaLo Único Que Tengo by Isabel Parra y Victor JaraCariñito by Lila DownsSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen, Edgar Franks, David Bacon, and Liz Darrow discuss the irreversible damage that the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which will be voted on in Congress this week, could do to farmworker communities. Also, there is a little bit of pop culture discussion. Because Edgar was on the show.Read David Bacon's Dignity or Exploitation paper hereOppose the Farm Workforce Modernization act herefor questions about the FWMA or other comments on the show email c2cmedia@foodjustice.orgSongs in this episode:Dark Eyes by Lila DownsThis is America by Childish GambinoSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow discuss the ideas behind Ecofeminism and the changing shape of feminism over time.Songs in this episode:Bad Girls by M.I.A.Mother by John LennonBad Reputation by Joan JettEn El Zapillo by Puakaea OceaniaSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow discuss the institutional lies that keep the wheels of capitalism turning.Songs in this episode:American Dream by Willie JonesSodade by Cesaria EvoraTruth Hurts by LizzoSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In part two of our exploration of what makes local coalitions valuable during this chaotic political moment, Rosalinda Guillen, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow chat with Celia Baker and Sage Jones, co-chairs of the Whatcom chapter of Democratic Socialists of America and members of the Coalition to Protect Our Community.To receive updates and action alerts from the Coalition to Protect Our Community, you can sign up here.Songs in this Episode:Talkin' Bout a Revolution by Tracy ChapmanIt's a Good Day (To Fight the System) by ShungudzoNew World Coming by Nina SimoneSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
This episode was originally aired as a webinar as part of Labor Network for Sustainability's JustTransition Listening Project. Enei Beyaya with Native Movement, Kali Akuno with Cooperation Jackson, Elizabeth Yeampierre with Uprose, and Rosalinda Guillen with Community to Community Development discuss what their organizations are doing amidst a growing climate crisis to move toward a just transition. Jeff Johnson from The LNS moderates the discussion.Songs in the episodeCanto de Ossanha by Baden PowellNew World Water by Mos DefRain, Rain Beautiful Rain by Ladysmith Black MambazoThanks to Brenda Bentley for this week's artwork.Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Nearly eight months into everything being shut down due to the pandemic, more and more pressure is put on students and teachers to "keep up" with the education system as if everything hasn't been turned on its head. In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen and Liz Darrow talk with long time volunteer and WSU student Stephany Lopez and about the increasingly unrealistic expectations of a system that has always left BIPOC behind.songs in this episode:I Can by NasAnother Brick in the Wall pt 2 by Pink FloydWords I Never Said by Lupe FiascoWake Up by Arcade FireSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
New data is exposing more lies from labor activist groups Familias Unidas por la Justicia and Community Community Development led by Rosalinda Guillen. The groups had blamed an Eastern Washington fruit farm for a COVID outbreak, claiming the farm hadn't done enough to protect workers. Save Family Farming Executive Director Gerald Baron joins Dillon to explain how a public health official is now calling out the activists' false narrative and asking them to stop spreading fear.
C2C is located on the lands of the Coast Salish people. Today and everyday we honor the struggle of Indigenous peoples against colonialism and systemic racism. We stand in solidarity with those who demand justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women. We must also include Black Indigenous, African Indigenous, and Indigenous people from all over the world. Here in our counties, as in many other places, the majority of farmworkers are indigenous to the southern lands, migrating to survive colonialism.In this episode of Community Voz, Rosalinda Guillen, Henry Bennett, Brenda Bentley, and Liz Darrow discuss ancestry, accountability, and the white supremacist structures that continue to exclude indigenous people and black and brown people from participation.Recommended viewing with this episode:Performance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous WomenMusic in this episode:We Are Circling by Buffy Sainte-MarieSalish Son by Salish SonLand Back by A Tribe Called RedFull Transcript of Chief Seattle's Address at the 1854 Treaty SigningArtwork by Soni López-Chávez @soni_artistSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
In the sixteen years that C2C has been working for farmworker justice, we have never endorsed a single candidate for elected office. Rosalinda Guillen and Liz Darrow discuss the reasons for that, and why this year is different.Songs in this episode:The Revolution by Tree 63Proletariat Blues by Blue ScholarsNo No Keshagesh by Buffy Sainte MarieAnother World is Possible by Jeffrey L. RichardsonSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen from Community to Community Development and Edgar Franks from Familias Unidas por la Justicia discuss the history of the workers' struggle for protection against exploitation and unsafe living conditions on farms in the Pacific Northwest.Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
C2C team members are taking turns recording shows focused on music from their childhood and teen years. In this week's podcast, Rosalinda Guillen shares music and experiences from her life as a young migrant farmworker.View the visual companion to this episode here.Songs in this episode:No Salgas Niña al la Calle by Trio TariacuriEl Barzón by Amparo OchoaEl Cielito Lindo by Trío Guardianes de la HuastecaLas Mañanitas by José Mendoza con Trio San PedroString Serenade No. 13 in G major by MozartSummertime by Ella FitzgeraldCallejon sin Salida by Los Relampagos Del NorteMis dos Patrias by Los Tigres del NorteWooly Bully by Sam and the PharoahsLa Bamba by Ritchie ValensBrown Eyed Girl by Van MorrisonTwist and Shout by The BeatlesPiece of My Heart by Janis JoplinLouie Louie by The KingsmenPurple Haze by Jimi Hendrix Experience(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling StonesSupport the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen speaks with Ninfa Gutierrez and Dulce Gutierrez from the Yakima Valley about the Agricultural and Seasonal Workforce Services Advisory Committee and the risks that farmworkers continue to face amidst the Corona Virus pandemic.Songs in this episode:El Bracero Fracasado by Lila DownsVuelvo Para Vivir by IllapuListen to audio recordings of ASWS meetings here Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Rosalinda Guillen and Liz Darrow look back on victories and challenges from 2019Support the show (https://foodjustice.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2)
Green Dreamer: Sustainability and Regeneration From Ideas to Life
Rosalinda Guillen is a recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. She's also the Executive Director of Community to Community (C2C), a women-of-color led, grassroots organization redefining power in order to end settler colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy in their external and internalized forms. Fueled by inspiration from her parents growing up and fed up with the systemic oppression in our food system, Rosalinda is working to build support for rural communities and sustainable agriculture policies that ensure equity and healthy communities for farm workers. On this podcast episode, Rosalinda sheds light on how settler colonialism continues to play out in our food system today; how the lack of work authorization for undocumented farm workers—which make up 48%-70% (or more) of our total number of farm workers in the U.S.—impacts labor standards; how food justice is related to immigration issues; and more. Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/147 Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast
Rosalinda Guillen is a widely recognized rural justice leader and a champion of farmworker rights. Born in Texas, Rosalinda spent her first decade in Coahuila, Mexico before emigrating with her family to LaConner, Washington in 1960. At the age of ten she went to work as a farmworker in the fields in Skagit County. Today, Rosalinda is the executive director of Community to Community, an organization that works to, broadly, redefine power in order to end settler colonialism, capitalism, and patriarchy. Within the labor movement Rosalinda has worked with Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America and has represented farmworkers in ongoing dialogues of immigration issues, labor rights, trade agreements, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement. “We have no choice but to take action,” says Rosalinda on this episode as she discusses organizing, participatory democracy, and embracing what she and her colleagues call “ecofeminism” which she explains is about empowering the feminine in our society—both people and mother nature herself. Rosalinda also talks about some of her proudest victories as an activist and organizer, and what she’d like to accomplish next.
Alex and Joe talk with Jamie Merisotis about college education and Rosalinda Guillen with Community to Community Development on the Sumas guest worker controversy.
Farmworkers Fight for Food and Job Justice by MFlowers Farm workers in the United States and Mexico are uniting to protest working conditions. From March 17 to 20, workers marched North in Mexico and South in the United States to meet at the border, at Playas de Tijuana. They are commemorating a march and strike one year ago and they are calling for the right to organize and demand fair wages, overtime pay and more. We speak with Rosalinda Guillen and Edgar Franks of Food Justice. Relevant articles and websites: Farmworkers in Mexico, Facing Human Rights Abuses Prepare to March in Protest by Griselda San Martin Sakuma Farmworkers Depart on Month Long Tour to Promote Driscoll’s Boycott Food Justice Boycott Sakuma Berries Alliance of Organizations for Social Justice (Mexican) Community to Community Development Facebook Page Guests: Rosalinda Guillen is a widely recognized farm worker and rural justice leader. The oldest of eight she was born in Texas and spent her first decade in Coahuila Mexico. Her family emigrated to LaConner, Washington in 1960 and she began working as a farm worker in the fields in Skagit County at the age of ten. Ms. Guillen has worked within the labor movement with Caesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America and has represented farm workers in ongoing dialogues of immigration issues, labor rights, trade agreements, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement. She works to build a broader base of support for rural communities and sustainable agriculture policies that ensure equity and healthy communities for farm workers. Edgar Franks lives in Bellingham, WA. He serves as the Civic Engagement Program Coordinator at Community to Community Development, working to engage supporters and develop a strategy that ensures the needs of the Farm Worker community are represented. Community to Community works on issues of Food Sovereignty through the lens of Farm Workers, with the goal of creating a politically conscious inter-sectional base that is fighting to create a local solidarity economy. Edgar currently represents Community to Community on the National Planning Committee for the US Social Forum and on the US Food Sovereignty Alliance. He is also on the National Leadership Team of Move to Amend. 0
Clearing the FOG with co-hosts Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese
Farm workers in the United States and Mexico are uniting to protest working conditions. From March 17 to 20, workers marched North in Mexico and South in the United States to meet at the border, at Playas de Tijuana. They are commemorating a march and strike one year ago and they are calling for the right to organize and demand fair wages, overtime pay and more. We speak with Rosalinda Guillen and Edgar Franks of Food Justice. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.
In this month’s podcast we interview Rosalinda Guillen, founder of Community2Community, a women-led food justice and immigration cooperative from Bellingham, Washington.