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Harvest Of Shame: Documentary Analysis

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$40 million dollars lost. This is the amount of estimated losses after a group of migrant workers in San Quentin, California went on strike for two weeks. (Bacon 1) The workers in this area were fed up with the harsh living conditions, long work hours, and low wages. One migrant worker said “My children didn’t even know me because I would go to sleep as soon as I came home” (Bacon 3). This is the sad reality that many migrant workers face because of growers drive to cut the cost of producing food. Over half the migrant workers in the United States have no legal status. (Gonzalez par 1). With no legal status, many migrant workers do not stand up for their rights in fear of being deported out of the United States. Because of the increasing …show more content…
These problems included under pay, long work hours, and poor living standards. To show the general public the horrific living standards of migrant workers, in 1962 CBS aired a documentary called “Harvest of Shame” (Kenneth 842). One grower even said, “We used to own our slaves; now we just rent them.” (Southern farmer 842). The documentary caused an outcry from the American people who called for better living conditions for these workers. The Migrant Health Act was passed, which gave basic health services to migrant workers. At the same time Cesar Chavez was spreading awareness for the same problems. Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association to fight for farm workers rights. (Ministry par 17). This organization still exists today and is known as the United Farm …show more content…
It has been discussed during the presidential debates and the solutions to this problem is often viewed different ways. One solution that has been proposed is to deport all illegal immigrants. This may seem like a practical solution, but when you break it down it poses many problems. For example, there would be a large void of agricultural workers that would be needed to be filled immediately. Another solution to the problem is the AgJOBS Bill. The AgJOBS Bill proposes to grant permanent residence if migrant workers have worked a certain number of years. (Triplett 832) With new gained legal status workers would stand up for their rights. (Triplett

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