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About Harvest of Dignity

Posted on June 10th, 2011 by Alejandra Okie 4 Comments

The 1960 film Harvest of Shame was the last televised documentary by North Carolina-born journalist Edward R. Murrow. In Harvest of Shame, Morrow explores social, health and labor issues faced by men, women and children working in agriculture in the U.S.

Harvest of Dignity is a new, original documentary created in 2011. It focuses on the lives and work of farmworkers in North Carolina, providing an in-depth portrait of the people who harvest our food today. It combines interviews with North Carolina farmworkers, advocates, faith leaders and educators, documentary photos and interviews collected by Student Action with Farmworkers interns and clips from the original Harvest of Shame documentary.

When the documentary Harvest of Shame was produced, the farmworker population was mainly made up of White and African-American men and families. Fifty years later, most farmworkers are Latino men. Other than this change in the composition of the farmworker population, Harvest of Dignity shows how little has changed in the working and living conditions of farmworkers in the last five decades.

The film was produced in collaboration with the North Carolina Farmworker Advocacy Network (FAN) and its Harvest of Dignity campaign to improve conditions for North Carolina field and poultry workers.

The film is in Spanish and English with subtitles.

Support was provided by the North Carolina Arts Council and Oxfam America.

4 Responses

  1. Jose Galaviz, Allegan/Ottawa/Barry Migrant Resource Council says:

    We are various agencies that meet once a month to promote services to migrant farmworker families and discuss current issues that pertain to farmworkers as well as identify unmet needs. We plan and participate in council activities and events. We will have our yearly post season meeting on October 27, 2011 and I would like to be able to view Harvest of Dignity documentary.
    Jose Galaviz Chair Person, Michigan Department of Human Services.

  2. P Jakes says:

    Is this film suitable for kids in the 8-12 year old range?

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