ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE

June 26, 2006

Migrant workers get welcome to Brockport

Bienvenida Day recognizes their labor, culture

Amy Wu
Staff writer

Migrant worker Javier Solis spent Sunday working on an annual ritual: setting up for "Bienvenida," the welcoming celebration for fellow migrant workers.

He skipped the migrant soccer league's big playoff to help set up for Bienvenida (which means "welcome" in Spanish), Brockport's way of acknowledging the contributions of the area's migrant worker community as harvest season begins.

The sacrifice was well worth it, he said.

"I hope that this will help make (migrant workers) feel that they are not alone," said Solis, a seasoned farmworker who hails from Michoacan, Mexico.

The half-day celebration began with Mass at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church on Brockport's Main Street, continued with a Mexican dance, and ended with a Mexican dinner.

Now in its 16th year, this crossroads of spirituality, religion and culture is sponsored by numerous organizations, including more than a dozen churches in the community.

The church as an institution plays an important role in the migrants' lives, said Father Peter Enyan-Baodu of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, noting that as many as 150 migrant workers attend the weekly Spanish service.

Most of the area's estimated 2,000 migrant workers are from Mexico and are Catholic. Others migrate from other U.S. locales such as Florida. Some are seasonal, but others like Javier Solis stay. Churches such as the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary provide a range of resources for the workers.

This year's celebration saw about 300 attendees, slightly higher than last year, said Sandra Rojas, a coordinator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester's Hispanic Migrant Ministry, which advertised the event throughout the community and at farms where migrant workers are employed.

"It is equally important to let the community know that they are very vital to our well being, like the nerve in our system," said the Rev. Sinnathamby Thevanesan of Brockport United Methodist Church.

A congregation of migrant workers and parishioners celebrated in the sticky humidity.

For many, the celebration, which included Aztec dancing and little girls in rainbow-colored dresses, reminded them of the homelands they left behind.

"Everything reminded me of home," said Lucia Hernandez, 30, a migrant worker who arrived in Brockport 11 months ago from Oaxaca, Mexico.

"It's a chance to get together and meet more people," said Silvia Escamilla, a migrant worker, pointing out the Aztec dancers to her smiling baby daughter, Catalina.

Bienvenida is also a chance for the community to thank the workers. Agriculture is a main economic driver in upstate New York. The state has about 60,000 migrant workers, with more than 80 percent from Mexico, said Kimberly Brown, who is working on a project on migrant workers at Cornell University's Farmworker and Migrant Program.

In the Brockport area, an estimated 2,000 migrant workers find work in the dairy and agriculture industries.

Brockport Mayor Morton Wexler proclaimed June 25 Bienvenida Day and the week leading up to the day as a time to recognize the farmworkers' contributions.

"They make a substantial contribution to the local economy," said Wexler.

The event's organizers see it as an opportunity for both the local community and migrant community to become better acquainted.

Ellen Loughrin, pastor of Spencerport United Methodist Church, seeks to better understand the migrant worker community.

"They are our neighbors," Loughrin said.

Rojas said it is part of the Hispanic Migrant Ministry's effort to bridge different cultures. "This is part of the bridge," Rojas said.

Solis said that the spirit of the day should continue every day.

"It makes me feel they recognize the hard work we are doing in the area, but it's only one day," he said.