Bugarin, Alicia and Lopez, Ph.D., Elias S., “Farmworkers in California,” July 1998,
http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/98/07/98007a.pdf, November 5, 2011
In their study, prepared for the Californa Research Bureau, Bugarin and Lopez point out that there is little statewide data for the status of farm workers or their children, and that most of the information that is out there is based upon studies of migrant children. The study also points out the fact that educational failures may not just be based on the need for the children to work, and therefore become less involved in school, but the fact that the population of child farm workers is largely not English proficient. It raises the question, is the farm work alone impacting the childrens’ education, or are the children not being provided with the needed language tools to succeed?
Cervantes, Wendy, “US Child Farm workers: Dreading their Summer Vacation,” Firstfocus.net, May 25, 2011, http://www.firstfocus.net/news/reading-list/us-child-farmworkers-dreading-their-summer-vacation, November 8, 2011
This article and the accompanying news video shed light on why the children are in the fields. It does not address, however, how anyone aims to break the cycle. There is a clear contradiction introduced on what the children want and what they actually end up doing in their adult lives. Many have big dreams, but are unable to fulfill them. The article does a good job at separating the safety concerns that many articles on child farm workers address from the implications the work will have on the adult lives and the cyclical pattern that these children will most likely experience.
“Facts About Child Farm workers in the US,” Shine Global, http://www.shineglobal.org/index.php/hero-of-the-week/harvest/some-facts-about-child-farmworkers-in-the-us/, November 8, 2011
This website outlines basic information, but also brings up that there is currently legislature in the works to change the way that children are employed in agriculture. Still, nowhere on this site is there a solid perspective from the children. It begs the questions: Why are they doing this? Is it out of their own free will? Or do they feel obliged or trapped into supporting their families? If so, are they okay with that?
“For Child Farm workers, Lives of Poverty and Danger,” Farm workers Forum, August 3, 2011, http://farmworkersforum.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/for-child-farmworkers-lives-of-poverty-and-danger/, November 8, 2011
This source gives an example of a child farm worker, Victor, whose family relies on him for part of their income. He gives a candid perspective on what he first thought of being brought into the fields, and the negligence that the employer showed when he hired Victor, a worker too young to legally be working. The article also makes a distinction between small farm laws and laws on larger farms, neither of which are strict.
“In Our Own Backyard,” June 11, 2007, http://www.ourownbackyard.org/, November 8, 2011
This website gives insight into the conditions children experience in the field. It also gives suggestions as to what can be done about the problem. Photos on this site are also relevant and would prove valuable in a presentation.
Miller, Michael V., “Mexican- American and Mexican National Farm Workers: A Literature Review”, August, 1975,
http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/PDFS/ED111563.pdf, November 5, 2011
Although a dated literature review, Miller provides one of the initial bases for the research of farm workers. At the time he wrote his review, only about thirty relevant articles were published on the subject. It could, therefore, be said that he was one of the first to gather data on the farm worker community, for presentation at the Rural Sociological Society Annual Meeting. His early gathering of the literature is helpful in seeing some of the changes in agricultural labor at the time of the Bracero program being phased out.
Perry, Adam, “Out of their labours,” Briarpatch Magazine, November 1, 2007, http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/out-of-their-labours, November 5, 2011
In his article, Perry illustrates to his reader, via short summations of the photographed subjects’ lives, the life of the farm worker, from how they support themselves to where they are originally from. The artice really gives a glimpse into the lives of farm workers without any bias. It is purely facts of the peoples’ lives.
Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., Michael, Toller, B.A.,Jennifer L., Dowling, M.D., M.P.H., Patrick, “Health of Migrant Farmworkers in California,” March 2011,
http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/03/05/03-005.pdf, November 5, 2011
Rodriquez and Toller give statistics regarding the education of farm workers in general, specifically ones that are relevant to their bigger picture of the health of migrant workers.
“Trends in Youth Employment: Data from the Current Population Survey”, The Report on the Youth Labor Force, November 2000,
http://www.bls.gov/opub/rylf/pdf/chapter4.pdf, November 5, 2011
In this report, good distinctions are made between labor habits of different age groups of children, and subdivides them into race, economic background and migrant and non-migrant background. The article also addresses the no-pay labor of children who work on family owned farms. Additionally, the survey report gives a background into general youth work, not just work of children in agriculture, which is helpful in weeding out trends that are common to all children in comparison to children working in the fields.
“Youth Employment in Agriculture,” The Report on the Youth Labor Force, November 2000, http://www.bls.gov/opub/rylf/pdf/chapter5.pdf, November 5, 2011
This report gives a good background as to how information on child farm workers has been gathered. As it turns out, much of the data on these workers has been submitted by their parents, leaving room for error in reporting due to embarrassment or legal consequence. Only some of the child workers who were studied actually were involved in the studies themselves. This report points to holes in the study: what is the child’s opinion or report on what they are doing? And, since the surveys were done in the workplace when the child was actually interviewed, is the information accurate or was it altered because they could have been influenced by nearby employees or supervisors?
After reviewing literature on child farm workers, I recognized a hole in the data: the perspective of the child farm worker directly from the source gathered in one location, and how the work the child is doing correlates to the cycle of poverty, or if it does at all. Since the demographic of child farm workers is largely Hispanic, education may not just be a problem because of the work these children are doing, but because of the inadequate ESL programs or bilingual classes that the children should be participating in. I found no place where the distinction between farm work, education and the cycle of poverty is related except for some studies on migrant farm workers and their children; no where are settled farm workers studied. I wish to contribute a source where people can clearly map the cycle of the child farm workers lives in respect to education, culture, and language.
No comments:
Post a Comment