These images are taken from the Farmworkers Immersion Project that I photographed this past April. The FIP is a program that gives students at CSU Channel Islands the opportunity to learn about farmworker rights and immigration issues. The students received first-hand experience of the typical farm work life in Ventura County by visiting a local berry farm. There they learned about the agricultural business in the county and then worked in the field as the farm manager instructed them on how to harvest berries.
This was a really exciting project for me in two ways. It was not only shocking for me to learn about the amount of work that goes into farm working and harvesting food, but it was also extremely exciting to see the transformation of the students as they learned. As a photographer, it’s always exciting to see such a transformation. I could tell that the students, as well as the faculty, staff, and community members that attended, were truly affected by the project.
The FIP was hosted by the Center for Community Engagement at CSUCI in collaboration with Chicana/o Studies, House Farm Workers!, and Reiter Affiliated Companies. If you’d like to learn more, please visit the CSU Channel Islands website.
