Month: October 2020

Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos celebrations November 1st: Join us in Leamington and online

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Mexican altar with flowers, candles, and photographs commemorating deceased migrant agricultural workers

Justicia for Migrant Workers 2013 Day of the Dead altar to commemorate migrant workers killed on the job in Canada.

To honour all the deaths of migrant farm workers who have died in Canada and in their home countries, Justice for Migrant Workers is hosting two Day of the Dead events on Sunday, November 1st.

These events build on the longstanding work of Justicia activist and artist Tzazná Miranda Leal, who for years has established an altar in honour of deceased migrant agricultural workers at Wychwood Barns in Toronto.

In particular, we invite you to hold your hearts three Mexican migrant agricultural workers who died in Ontario this year due to COVID-19 and the government’s failure to prioritize worker safety: Bonifacio Eugenio Romero (31), Rogelio Muñoz Santos (24), and Juan Lopez Chaparro (55). ¡Presente!

In-person, outdoor, physically distanced altar in Leamington, Ontario

  • 12pm-6pm on Sunday, 1 November
  • Meet at the Giant Tomato (72 Talbot St West)

Digital Day of the Dead Celebration

  • Sunday, November 1st online
  • Take part in our virtual celebration of the three Mexican migrant agricultural workers who died due to COVID-19.
  • Please include Bonifacio Eugenio Romero, Rogelio Muñoz Santos, and Juan Lopez Chaparro on your ofrenda/altar, honouring them in a way that resonates with you.
  • We invite you to share photos of your altar with us on social media. Tag us @harvestingfreedom (instagram), or @j4mw (Twitter).

Call to support an injured farm worker this Thanksgiving

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Tashoy is a migrant worker in Ontario who was injured on the job a few years ago. His hand was crushed in a piece of machinery used to pack cucumbers.

Justice for Migrant Workers is asking people with the means to donate to Tashoy to support his and his family’s living expenses. Donating in solidarity with migrant workers is a concrete way to express gratitude for migrant members of our community who grow food and other crops. Supporting struggles for Indigenous sovereignty and land repatriation is also an important way to mark this date.

You can donate to Tashoy at the link below until 18 October. Please write “Tashoy” in the note: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=T75F2A8TFNV4E

 

Background

Migrant workers hired through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program pay taxes that support the social safety net — just like Canadian citizens and permanent residents. However, if they become ill or injured on the job, it can be very difficult for migrant agricultural workers to access the same benefits as Canadians because they are deportable and have visas that are ‘tied’ to one employer.

It’s been a few years since Tashoy’s injury and he is still fighting – the system is designed to prevent migrant workers from getting justice.

Harvest season brings a bounty of fresh produce and other agricultural crops to people in Canada, along with countries that import Canadian goods. Simultaneously, Canadian agriculture is rife with unsafe working conditions for  farm workers who pick those vegetables, with unique risks for migrant workers. This is the time of year when we see countless workers like Tashoy get injured on the job; in some instances they are repatriated by their employers with no grievance mechanism.

If you can, please donate in solidarity with Tashoy here by 18 October!

Join us at our upcoming ‘Digital Day of Action’

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Last month, we hosted a ‘Digital Day of Action’ for migrant worker rights in partnership with CaterToronto. We were amazed at the response and engagement from community, and inspired by the collective impact we were able to achieve working together.

On September 7th, we received 167 new signatures on our petition. Over the next week, over 450 new community members followed us on Instagram to learn more about migrant worker rights.

With COVID-19 continuing to impact workers’ lives on a daily basis, and a lack of meaningful action from the Canadian government, we need to continue this work. It’s time to take matters into our own hands.

We will be hosting another ‘Digital Day of Action’ on October 18th, 2020 at 10AM. To register and receive the Zoom link, click through to our Eventbrite page here.

Once you’ve registered, take the extra step in helping us promote the ‘Digital Day of Action’. Here’s how you can support:

  1. Download one of the graphics in this folder – each of the graphics is an image of a local migrant workers’ hands.
  2. Take a photo of your own hands – holding food, cooking, gardening, cleaning up, etc.
  3. Post these photos in an image set on Instagram or other social media platforms.
  4. In your caption, write (something along these lines): “I stand in solidarity with migrant workers across the country. Join me.  Take action and #GetYourHandsDirty at Justicia’s Digital Day of Action on October 18th.”