Earth Day and Toxic Tour with SSC

 Seminole State College in Central Florida brought out two awesome groups to learn more about Lake Apopka and its history. The group from SSC’s Sanford campus spent the morning working in a local ornamental plant nursery and getting a feel for the demanding nature of farm labor.  They merged with Seminole State College’s Altamonte Springs Campus at our Apopka, FL office and got to meet one another before heading off for a narrated drive and many stops highlighting the agricultural heritage of Lake Apopka, and the environmental racism that is so embedded in the landscape. The students were deeply affected by what they saw, and we are grateful to raise awareness and empathy in youth of Central Florida.

 Every year Lake Eola in Orlando hosts an Earth Day festival where lots of environmentally minded vendors come together to celebrate and honor Mother Earth. We were very pleased to participate and display the beautiful red quilt at this year’s event.

 Passersby enjoyed the materials we shared and many even signed a petition to boycott Sakuma Berries (https://boycottsakumaberries.com/), because all workers deserve fair treatment and a living wage. The Sakuma Berries workers face systematic wage theft, poverty wages, hostile working conditions, and unattainable production standards.  We stand in solidarity with our Brother and Sister farmworkers around the country in seeking just working conditions.

We love sharing the continuity of farmworker history and issues faced by farmworkers today.