I’ve been noticing a lot of news about food growers, particularly in Florida. During the week of Thanksgiving, CBS posted an old report from 1960 called Harvest of Shame. Edward Murrow leads us through almost an hour of a personal look at a few of the people who are relied on for their work in food production but are not given the respect or pay that they deserve.
One of the most interesting things about this piece is that it’s sponsored by Philip Morris, Inc and Murrow smokes cigarettes through much of the report. It was an understated point, but because of how much it dates the piece I couldn’t let it go.
Murrow’s final words in the report were “The migrants have no lobby. Only an enlightened, aroused and perhaps angered public opinion can do anything about the migrants. The people you have seen have the strength to harvest your fruit and vegetables. They do not have the strength to influence legislation. Maybe we do. Good night, and good luck.”
The same question stands. Do we have the strength to influence legislation? Food growers continue to be exploited and dehumanized by political policy and apathy of consumers.
