|
June 2, 2008
500 march on behalf of fallen teen farm worker
By Ross Farrow
Some 500 people from Lodi and other agricultural regions marched in
solidarity Sunday through Lodi and Acampo in search of improved working
conditions for farm workers.
Today, after a breakfast cooked by parishioners at St. Christopher's
Catholic Church and a special prayer and blessing by Father Robert
Copsey, farm workers and their supporters will walk to Thornton on their
way to the State Capitol. They hope to reach the Capitol by noon
Wednesday.
Called a pilgrimage, the walk is in honor of Maria Isabel Vasquez
Jimenez, the 17-year-old Lodi girl who died on May 16 after working in
95-degree heat two days earlier at West Coast Grape Farming in
Farmington.
Jimenez's funeral on Wednesday at St. Anne's Catholic Church attracted
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pledged to further strengthen
enforcement of laws regarding farm workers toiling in extreme heat.
On Sunday, family members and United Farm Workers members attended the
Spanish-language Mass at St. Anne's at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday before
marching toward Sacramento.
Most of the approximately 500 marchers stopped on Acampo Road for lunch,
and those who came on one of the 10 charter buses from out of town had
to go home, UFW President Arturo Rodriguez said. That left only about 40
to march the rest of the way to Galt, where they were welcomed with a
large dinner by St. Christopher's parish members.
Buses came from the southern San Joaquin, Salinas, Napa and Sonoma
valleys.
While walking on the western frontage road off Highway 99 near Acampo
Road on Sunday afternoon, long-time Lodi resident Maria Zamora recalled
having to walk up to 10 minutes to the restroom when she was a farm
worker about five years ago.
Meanwhile, Alma Rodriguez wasn't aware of the march until she attended
Sunday's Mass. She then decided to join them.
"I wanted to support the girl," Rodriguez said. "I don't know if I can
walk every day."
A Lodi resident, Vargas is a housekeeping employee at Lodi Memorial
Hospital, so her job will keep her there instead of pounding the
pavement today through Wednesday.
The United Farm Workers union became involved after Jimenez's uncle,
Doroteo, sought assistance from the union about the working conditions
surrounding Jimenez's death.
Jimenez's death drew much greater publicity than the 2005 death of Maria
Laticia Fonseca Quintero, 37, of Galt, who was crushed by a grape
harvester.
Reyna Castellano of Porterville, UFW's external coordinator who arranged
lunch and dinner for the marchers, said she wasn't familiar with
Quintero's death, but the union won't get in the middle of something
unless their assistance is requested.
Castellano said that after working with St. Christopher's parishioners
in Galt on Saturday and Sunday to host the UFW members marching to
Sacramento, she now has more contacts in Galt. She said she would hope
that Galt farm workers will contact the union in the event tragedy or
some kind of perceived injustice happens in the Galt area.
Neither Jimenez nor anyone in her family were United Farm Workers
members, Rodriguez acknowledged. She also was an undocumented worker, he
added.
Rodriguez said he will make some requests once the union reaches the
State Capitol on Wednesday, but he wouldn't say beforehand what those
requests will be.
The pilgrimage took a rather circuitous route to Galt. In fact, they
called it a day at about 7:30 p.m. on Woodson Road near Forest Lake Golf
Course. They took cars the rest of the way to St. Christopher's, where
parishioners had a large feast waiting for them.
Some in the pilgrimage spent the night at the old St. Christopher's
chapel on Third and F streets, while others stayed at parishioners'
homes. Today, the itinerary calls for a special prayer and blessing by
Copsey at St. Christopher's and breakfast cooked by the parish before
returning to Woodson Road and continuing their walk.
They are due at Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Church in Thornton late today,
said Paula Soto, who is organizing the Thornton gathering.
|