On Thursday, November 4, we joined our allies at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, UFCW Local 27 and others to host the Salisbury Fall Festival, bringing together nearly 200 community members for music, food, family fun and connections with Delmarva nonprofits.
The Festival was the latest in our efforts to ensure that food chain workers in Delmarva have access to healthcare. That means addressing language, gender inequities and immigration-related issues faced by migrant workers.
Our approach is to bridge labor and health rights, providing critical information about workers’ rights and organizing vaccination events like yesterday’s. Thanks to the generous funding from the CDC and Health Resources and Services Administration, CDM and our partners can lead community-based initiatives to address health disparities that reflect workers’ voices and needs.
With more than 25 participating organizations sharing information about housing, immigration and labor rights, and vaccinations for both flu and Covid-19, the Salisbury Fall Festival was just what we envisioned when launching these initiatives. Resources were available in Spanish, English and Haitian Creole.
As documented by the CDC, food chain workers employed in agriculture, poultry, meat and seafood processing industries have been especially vulnerable to infection and employer abuse during the pandemic. Workplaces and living arrangements make social distancing difficult, while a lack of personal protective equipment heightens exposure risk. CDM and partner organizations have documented unprecedented levels of retaliation against workers for reporting safety concerns.
Events like Salisbury Fall Festival are crucial to helping food chain workers protect their health, safety and rights during the pandemic — and building the relationships and solidarity to fight back against the labor violations that plague these industries.
Thanks to our incredible partners for their support and participation:
UFCW Local 27, Rebirth Inc., el Comité de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agrícolas (CATA), LAJC – Legal Aid Justice Center, MCN – Migrant Clinicians Network, Wicomico Public Libraries, WOLC Immigration Services, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Salisbury University, Johns Healthcare Priority Partners MCO, Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services, Y.E.E.S. W.E. C.A.N, Love and Hope Rescue Mission, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Services, Clean Water Action, SHORE UP!, Inc., Tri-Community Mediation, Habitat for Humanity, Project Niru at Community Behavioral Health, Wicomico County Health Department, Wicomico County Public Schools, the Lower Shore Vulnerable Population Task Force, Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, and Marylanders for Food and Farmworker Protection, among others.