GUELPH, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 23, 2012) - Attention Ontario News and Assignment Editors for March 26 -29, 2012.
| WHAT: |
| "Got Food? Thank a Farm Worker!" is one of the themes of Migrant Farm Worker Awareness Week being held at the University of Guelph, March 26th to 29th. |
| WHERE: |
| University of Guelph Campus, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 |
| WHEN: |
| Monday, March 26 - 10am-4pm, Arts Exposé: University Centre Courtyard, 10am-4pm |
| Tuesday, March 27 - 5:30-7:30pm, Film Screening, The Harvest: Rozanski Hall, Room 102 |
| Wednesday, March 28 - 5:00-7:00pm, Film Screening, El Contrato: Rozanski Hall, Room 102 |
| Thursday, March 29 - 5:30-7:30pm, Panel Discussion: Rozanski Hall, Room 102 |
| WHO: |
| The week campaign is a collaboration between students in Dr. Kerry Preibisch's Sociology course "Migration, Inequality and Social Change" and community partners Agriculture Workers Alliance and Students Against Migrant Exploitation. |
| WHY: |
| Migrant farm workers feed Canadian cities. The majority of our fruits and vegetables are handpicked by farm workers, including the approximately 40,000 men and women working in Canada on temporary visas. Some 60 percent of these migrants live and work in Ontario. While the local food movement rightly brings attention to growers in our community, farm workers remain largely invisible. |
BACKGROUND:
The week, organized by students in their final year of Sociology and International Development Studies, aims to increase awareness of the men and women who grow and harvest our food, as well as their working and living conditions.
The event is being held in partnership with the Agriculture Workers Alliance and Students Against Migrant Exploitation, and runs in conjunction with over 100 events in the United States as part of National Farm Worker Awareness Week. Through art, films, and a panel discussion, students hope to shed light on farm workers' efforts to secure just living and working conditions and fair treatment under the law.
The week kicks off Monday at 10 am in the University Centre with an Arts Exposé, featuring beat poetry, singer/songwriters and a photo montage by Vincenzo Pietropaolo. Tuesday is the Canadian premiere of Eva Longoria's The Harvest, a compelling documentary about farm workers in the United States. Wednesday will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the NFB's El Contrato, including a Q&A with director Min Sook Lee and prominent migrant rights activists who feature in the film. The week wraps up Thursday with a panel discussion on migrants in the Canadian food system hosted by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Expert panelists from the farming community, the labour movement, and the Ontario government will share their views and take questions from the audience.
Contact Information:
University of Guelph
Kerry Preibisch
519.830.0040
kerry.preibisch@uoguelph.ca
Community Contact:
Students Against Migrant Exploitation
Pablo Godoy
416.420.6992
pablo.godoy@ufcw.ca
www.thesame.ca