GRAND RAPIDS – Join Michigan Sustainable Business Forum and Migrant Legal Aid on Monday, February 20 at 10 am for a conversation on working toward ending systemic exploitation in the food supply chain.
A substantial portfolio of products critically important to the Michigan food system are quietly produced by some of its most vulnerable workers: Hispanic immigrants and guest workers. Despite growing political and cultural hostility, the number of H-2A farmworkers in the Midwest has doubled since 2015, while immigrants account for up to a third of workers in agriculture and food processing. Often contracted by agencies, H-2A non-immigrant and migrant farmworkers are vulnerable to long, grueling hours, hazardous working conditions, low pay, wage theft, child labor violations, trafficking, substandard housing, and violence.
Yet when purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables, how often does one think about the means and methods by which that produce was harvested? This webinar will feature an introduction and examination of the role that migrant farmworkers play in our food systems and economy.
Featured Speakers:
- Teresa Hendricks, Director and Senior Litigator, Migrant Legal Aid
- Chef Jenna Arcidiacono, Owner, Amore Trattoria Restaurant
- Ruben Martinez, Director Emeritus of Julian Samora Research, Professor of Sociology, Michigan State University
Feb. 20, 10:00am
Webinar
Free
