Migrant farmworkers in the United States are routinely forced to live and work in unsafe, impoverished conditions. In response, farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida, the “tomato capital of the world,” formed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Against powerful adversaries, the CIW went on to launch nationwide campaigns that have forced the corporate giants of the fast food and grocery industries to concede to their demands for increased wages and just working conditions. As their struggle, and that of immigrants and low-wage workers everywhere, continues, Silvia Giagnoni presents their remarkable story.
What People Are Saying
Social change always happens in a context, but the headlines rarely suggest what that might be. Picking her way through one of the most important campaigns for social justice in the United States today, Silvia Giagnoni tells the stories of farmworkers, mothers, priests, and plutocrats with compassion, poetry, and a fierce humanity.” — Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing “Fields of Resistance captures the brilliant, difficult, and sustained organizing work of immigrant activists against the megacorporations, such as Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Whole Foods, that profit from their labor. If there was ever any doubt that workers’ rights are human rights, this book will put the notion to rest.” — Vanessa Tait, author of Poor Workers’ Unions: Rebuilding Labor from Below “A sweet victory for social justice. A testament to the tenacity of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.” — Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation “The Immokalee farmworkers’ heroic struggle for justice in the fields is an inspiring reminder of the value of hope and the power of solidarity.” — Tom Morello, guitarist, songwriter, and activist
About the Author
Silvia Giagnoni is an Italian writer currently based in Montgomery, Alabama, where she works as an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Dramatic Arts at Auburn University Montgomery. Fields of Resistance is her first book.