OVERVIEW OF TOPIC

Focus Text: Psalm 126  
“May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.  Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.”Commentary by Melinda Wiggins, Executive Director, Student Action with Farmworkers
In the last two verses, we are reminded that, as in agriculture, the deliverance from oppression will not be easy or come quickly, but is promised. These verses remind one of the Beatitudes, which also promise justice to the poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hungry, merciful, pure, peacemakers and those who are persecuted.

toral Reflection by Melinda Wiggins
One Sunday afternoon each fall at the crossroads of Highway 55 and Easy Street in Sampson County, North Carolina, thousands of campesinos, church members, families, student volunteers, and community members gather to celebrate the harvest and give thanks to farm workers for bringing food to our tables. People enjoy traditional Mexican foods such as tamales, taquitos and horchata, as well as the American favorites, hot dogs and hamburgers. Children play games, couples dance to la musica, and families walk around gathering informational pamphlets from service agency representatives. The celebration ends with the soccer trophy being awarded to the champion team.Personal Vignette by from “Hands of Harvest, Hearts of Justice,” a North Carolina farmworker curriculum produced by the NC Council of Churches
We were all shaking because it was so hot, almost dehydrated. You know what I did? I left them…It was less than an hour before finishing, and I thought for $6 I am not going to die here. I'm leaving. In the field, there were no shade trees. It is just a ditch full of weeds, but that's where I stayed, and it didn't matter if there were snakes or thorns. It didn't matter... All I wanted was shade.

Despite pervasive poverty, less than one percent of farmworkers collect general assistance welfare nationwide. Only ten percent of farmworkers report having health insurance through an employer health plan. Fewer than four out of ten workers interviewed said that they would receive unemployment benefits if out of work.  In addition, nearly five out of ten North Carolina farmworkers cannot afford enough food for themselves and their families.