September 22, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karen Moro
Social Sciences Department
805-756-2260; klmoro@calpoly.edu
Photo Exhibit of Migrant Farm Workers at Cal Poly Oct. 1 through Nov. 30
San Luis Obispo – A photojournalistic exhibit documenting the daily lives and struggles of California’s farm workers will be on display at Cal Poly’s Robert E. Kennedy Library Oct. 1 through Nov. 30. Presented in Spanish and English, the exhibit is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is based on a book, “The Migrant Project,” with photos and text by Rick Nahmias. The book details the challenges of a population the author considers “cast-off” by mainstream society.
The exhibit also addresses the human toll of feeding America. More than a million farm workers pick California’s fruits and vegetables – produce that accounts for more than half of the nation’s daily consumption. Yet this critical human link in the food chain ranks among the state’s poorest and most feebly housed, with the highest percentage of uninsured and the lowest literacy rates.
The exhibit is sponsored by Cal Poly’s Social Sciences and Agribusiness Departments in an effort to promote education and awareness of diverse cultures.
The exhibit opens with a reception and wine pouring on Friday, Oct 2 from 6 to 8 p.m. Nahmias will be honored at the reception along with Talley Vineyards. Talley established the Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers to support agricultural workers in San Luis Obispo county. The fund is maintained through an annual release of Mano Tinto wine, Spanish for “red hand,” supported by a cross-section of local vineyards. All proceeds are donated to the fund.
For more information on the exhibit, go to: www.cla.calpoly.edu/socs/ or call 805-756-1216. For more information on the Fund for Vineyard and Farm Workers, go to: www.talleyvineyards.com/cm/home/html.
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