Skip to Content

If farmworkers pick the food, shouldn’t they get a seat at the table?

October 09, 2023

Season 1, Episode 16

0:30:57

Summary

Tonight at dinner, you are likely to eat something that was picked by a farmworker. This is back-breaking work, involving long hours in the hot sun. And yet farmworkers, many of whom are immigrants to the U.S., often do not have basic workplace protections like heat standards or overtime pay. “The cruel irony in this country is that the very people who nourish us often can’t afford to put food on their own table,” says Diana Tellefson Torres. The granddaughter of a migrant worker herself, Diana’s work at the UFW Foundation is helping ensure farmworkers have a voice in the conversation about their labor and their rights. 

In this episode, Diana tells Dwayne the story of her own family’s journey to the U.S.; what she has learned from the farmworkers she meets every day; and why we should all know the stories of the people who picked the food on our dinner tables. 

Almost There Logo

Almost There

A podcast about what it takes to make transformational change.

All Episodes

All episodes

    • Image of Joan Salwen with Almost There branding32 min

      You can do WHAT with seaweed???

      Season 1, Episode 20

      Listen
    • Tiana Epps Johnson portrait with text: Almost There30 min

      Want to protect democracy? Hug an election official.

      Season 1, Episode 19

      Listen
    • Sriram Shamasunder portrait with text: Almost There47 min

      The marvelous connections between poetry and medicine

      Season 1, Episode 18

      Listen
    • Sara Zewde portrait with text: Almost There35 min

      The anti-slavery roots of America's public parks

      Season 1, Episode 17

      Listen
    • Sheila Davis portrait with text: Almost There33 min

      What the AIDS epidemic taught this nurse about keeping the world healthy

      Season 1, Episode 15

      Listen
    • David Domenici portrait19 min

      Is it possible to build a great school in a prison?

      Season 1, Episode 14

      Listen
    • Shari Davis portrait with text: Almost There31 min

      You—yes, you—can decide how the government spends money

      Season 1, Episode 13

      Listen
    • Amy Back portrait with text? Almost There31 min

      Following the data to a fairer criminal justice system

      Season 1, Episode 12

      Listen
    • Chuck Yarborough portrait with text: Almost There35 min

      How to teach history in a divided America? Let students think for themselves.

      Season 1, Episode 11

      Listen
    • 32 min

      Could virtual reality make us better coworkers?

      Season 1, Episode 10

      Listen
    • 40 min

      Native life is everywhere. Just look around.

      Season 1, Episode 9

      Listen
    • Image of Aisha Nyandoro32 min

      What’s possible when Black mothers have the financial freedom to dream?

      Season 1, Episode 8

      Listen
    • 31 min

      What if we let asylum seekers fix our immigration system?

      Season 1, Episode 7

      Listen
    • 34 min

      How does it feel to be known as a “felon” forever?

      Season 1, Episode 6

      Listen
    • 35 min

      Young people: here’s how to run for office—and win

      Season 1, Episode 5

      Listen
    • 33 min

      What you learn when you sail around the world without a compass

      Season 1, Episode 4

      Listen
    • 34 min

      This profoundly simple act can save the lives of millions of Black women

      Season 1, Episode 3

      Listen
    • 35 min

      Our buildings are making us sick. Can they heal us instead?

      Season 1, Episode 2

      Listen
    • 36 min

      How to tell ourselves the truth about the history of slavery

      Season 1, Episode 1

      Listen

    Interests

    Stay Up to Date

    Stay informed with the latest from us.

    Get the latest