Diana Tellefson Torres
Leading a movement for immigrant and farmworker rights.
Diana Tellefson Torres is the founding executive director of the UFW Foundation, an organization that mobilizes farmworkers across the U.S. to advocate for more equitable policies, from immigration reform, to worker protections—like heat standards, overtime pay, and pesticide protections.
The UFW Foundation is the nonprofit arm of the United Farm Workers of America, the nation’s largest labor union for farmworkers. In addition to providing critical services for farmworkers—including assistance with wage claims, workplace discrimination, voter registration, tax preparation, and immigration—the UFW Foundation also engages thousands of Latinos, farm workers, and immigrants in community outreach and organizing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFW Foundation played an essential role in supporting hundreds of thousands of farmworkers—distributing food, masks, and financial assistance; helping to secure $700 million in federal pandemic relief; and leading the fight for farmworker vaccination prioritization.
“Farmworkers are always essential,” Torres says. “It should not take a pandemic to realize that those who nourish this nation deserve essential labor protections and a safety net—now, and in the future.”
A farm workers' advocate shares how her organization is mobilizing farm workers across the country to fight for equitable rights and protections.