Salinas Valley, California
Seeing farm workers in the fields is a common sight in California’s Salinas Valley. It’s one of the most productive agricultural regions in the U.S., known for crops like lettuce, strawberries, and broccoli. It’s often called “America’s Salad Bowl.”
Usually, I see the workers’ minute shapes dotting the enormous expanse of an industrial field, working in dozens and wearing hooded sweatshirts to protect themselves from the sun. Today, they were close to the road, harvesting what looked like lettuce. The sight of these people laboring away always touches a place deep inside of me. No one would doubt that it’s hard, tedious work, stooping and picking in the hot sun so that we can put strawberries on our breakfast cereal. They just want a better life, a better life for their children, and like my grandparents and yours, they’re willing to work for it. They’re not taking a job from anyone; there’s plenty of farm work.
When I stopped to take this photo, I looked for a foreman to ask permission, but they were all working, picking or driving the tractor. As I snapped a couple shots, a few heads raised to see who was documenting them. I felt their pain like a punch in the stomach. I waved and flashed the peace sign to calm their concerns, and soon they were all waving and flashing it right back to me. So this is for them. When you eat an artichoke or dip your asparagus in hollandaise sauce, remember the men and women in hooded sweatshirts. And keep them in mind the next time you vote.