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| Good, Clean, Fair Food - Can We Have It All? | ||
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Our nation's current healthcare debate and growing interest in media including Fast Food Nation, In Defense of Food, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and Food Inc. are shining a light on our food system like never before. Erika Lesser, executive director of Slow Food USA led a lively discussion, "Good, Clean, Fair Food - Can We Have It All?" on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at Seattle's Town Hall. The true costs of our current food system and its consequences to our health, the environment, food and farm workers and our communities were examined, and the intricate balance of interests involved in creating a food system that is good, clean, affordable and fairly produced was explored by Erika, organic orchardist Adolfo Alvarez, PCC nutrition educator Goldie Caughlan, farm labor activist Rosalinda Guillen and community activist Teresa Mares, co-coordinator of the Food Justice Project. Presented by Slow Food Seattle and the Legal Aid for Washington Fund. Proceeds benefited the Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Project. Sponsored by Bon Appétit Management Company, the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington and PCC Natural Markets. Photo Credit: Copyright (c) Anne Smith, 2009 | |
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About the Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Project The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project is a farm worker advocacy project that supports and funds law students to work in summer internships with legal services organizations that provide civil legal services to Washington farm workers. It is named after Laurel Rubin, a devoted farm worker advocate who died in the course of her advocacy work. Since 1999, the Project has sponsored 32 summer internships for law students to work alongside experienced attorneys to provide legal services to farm workers in need. The Laurel Rubin interns work on matters involving worker safety, housing, access to health care, immigration, employment discrimination, unemployment and workers compensation, and consumer rights, wherever the resources are most needed to serve the farm worker community. We are tremendously grateful to our generous sponsors and contributors, including the Western Union Foundation, PCC Natural Markets, Starbucks Coffee Company, and LAW Fund, together with Perkins Coie LLP, Matt Geyman and Amy Arvidson, Laura Solis, Frank and Miriam Rubin, Patricia Loera, and many others. Farm workers currently live in third world conditions within the boundaries of our own state. Many agricultural workers live in labor camps or overcrowded apartments. Others spend time living in their cars, in tents, or along river banks. Average annual income for Washington is less than $10,000; and just 5 percent of farm workers report being covered by employer provided health insurance. Nationally, the rate of fatal occupational injuries for farm workers is almost ten times the rate for all U.S. industries. 2009 News Update The Access to Justice Law School Relations Committee, together with the Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project is proud to announce the inaugural year of the Laurel Rubin Externship Advocacy Program (REAP). This unique externship program will place three bilingual (Spanish-speaking) law students in the Yakima Valley, with Northwest Justice Project, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and Columbia Legal Services. The students will work under the supervision of a team of experienced legal aid attorneys during the autumn academic term assisting farm workers on a wide variety of civil legal issues. The cohort of three students will be selected from the Gonzaga University, Seattle University, and the University of Washington law schools. The goal is to expand access to justice for migrant and season farm workers, who are among the poorest and most vulnerable group of workers in the U.S. With approxiamately 289,000 farm workers and family members, Washington has the fourth largest population of migrant and seasonal farm workers in the country . The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project Law Student Internships The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project assists farm workers in their efforts to enforce their right to fair, dignified, humane and safe working and living conditions. The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Rights Project seeks to get additional advocates into the community immediately through law student summer internships to help ensure indigent farm workers' access to justice. Interns work under the supervision of legal aid services attorneys in several counties throughout the state. Internships are earmarked for current law school students. Information on how to apply can be found at www.columbialegal.org and www.nwjustice.org For the 2010, the Project sponsored five law student interns to do farm worker outreach and advocacy:
For an August 2007 article written by a 2006 Laurel Rubin intern, Michael Khalili, describing his internship with Columbia Legal Services in Yakima, WA, click here. To Make a Donation Secure on-line gifts to the Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project can be made by clicking here now or call your gift in to LAW Fund during business hours (8:30a-5:00p PST) at (206) 623-5261 ext. 281 Remembering Laurel The Project is named in honor of Laurel Rubin, a talented, idealistic attorney who was serving indigent farm workers in Washington state when she died tragically young in 1998. Laurel was an extremely talented lawyer, who was passionately committed to helping migrant workers obtain fairness and respect. Laurel grew up in Wappingers Falls, New York. She was brilliant, indifferent to materialistic concerns, and had many interests in addition to serving social justice. Laurel 's dedication and commitment to farm workers epitomizes the principal of justice for all. The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project Steering Committee: Emma Zavala-Suarez, Chair; Andrea Schmitt, Vice-Chair; Cristóbal Joshua Alex, Rodolfo Cureno, Sue Encherman, Karen Falkingham, Joan Foley, Dan Ford, Matt Geyman, Hon. Jorge Madrazo, Aurora Martin, Sean Phelan, Omar Riojas, Laura Solis, Amy Spencer, and Greg Zipes. Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project Advisory Council: Rep. Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney, Governor Mike Lowry, Ricardo Sanchez and Justice Charles Z. Smith (Retired) |
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The Laurel Rubin Farm Worker Justice Project assists farm workers in their efforts to enforce their right to fair, dignified, humane and safe working and living conditions.  |
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