Migrant Workers Vital to Vermont Dairy Industry, Need More Social and Medical Support
UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources; by Lucy Drummond
October 21, 2021: A study by University of Vermont researcher and environmental justice expert Bindu Panikkar shows inequities in work conditions often faced by migrant dairy farm laborers in Vermont. Her research highlights the need for stronger policy to protect the health and safety of immigrant farm workers.
In New Graphic Anthology 'Most Costly Journey,' Vermont’s Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories
Seven Days; by Melissa Pasanen
October 13, 2021: "The Most Costly Journey, published in May by the Vermont Folklife Center, is a compilation of cartoons originally released in Spanish as individual booklets. Its 19 chapters use a wide range of cartooning styles and perspectives to bring to life the challenges that migrant farmworkers face, from debilitating loneliness to the constant specter of deportation. Two dozen members of Vermont's migrant farmworker community, all identified by pseudonyms, contributed their stories."
How Vermont Has Vaccinated Its Farmworkers / Cómo Vermont Vacunó A Sus Agricultores
Vermont Public Radio; by Elodie Reed
September 26, 2021: "This past year, UVM Extension coordinated vaccinations in 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties, partnering with local health services and using a combination of on-farm clinics, state-sponsored clinics, BIPOC clinics and pharmacy appointments. They reached about 900 people."
The Most Costly Journey’: Immigrant farm workers share with comic artists
The Rutland Herald; by Janelle Faignant
July 3, 2021: "Several years ago, Julia Doucet, a nurse at a free clinic, and her colleagues noticed a common thread among some of the patients coming in. They were some of the more than 1,200 migrant workers from Latin America working on Vermont dairy farms."
'A New Way To Look At The World': Cartoonists Collaborate With Farmworkers In 'El Viaje Más Caro'
Vermont Public Radio; by Mitch Wertlieb, Matthew F. Smith, Abagael Giles
June 24, 2021: A conversation with Julia Doucet and Marek Barrett about 'El Viaje Más Caro'.
Health Access for Migrant Workers
UVM College of Arts and Sciences News; by Lily Donnelly
April 14, 2021: "When people think of Vermont, they often think of the state’s rich agricultural heritage, Holstein cows, award-winning cheeses and local foods. Yet most of this agriculture relies on the labor of undocumented migrant workers, who have a hand in everything from milking the Holsteins and mucking out their stalls to picking apples and other crops. And yet, between the state’s northern Canadian border and recent federal immigration policies, living and working in Vermont brings many challenges — including access to health care, the risk of trauma and mental health issues — to a workforce the state relies so heavily upon."
Larner College of Medicine News; by Kevin Coburn
June 22, 2021: "Multiple partners including UVM Extension, the Vermont Department of Health, UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Larner College of Medicine and the UVM Medical Center worked together to get shots into arms of vulnerable farmworker populations."
UVM Extension Funded for Vaccine Education
UVM Extension News; by Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland & Sarah Kleinman
June 9, 2021: "A national immunization education program will help provide vaccine information and outreach to rural or medically underserved populations, including migrant and seasonal agricultural workers in Vermont. The Extension Foundation, in cooperation with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), recently awarded $224,178 to University of Vermont (UVM) Extension. The funding, provided through its Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) immunization education program, will be used to enhance vaccine education efforts and address vaccine hesitancy among the agricultural community with emphasis on farmworkers in Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Orleans, Windham and Windsor Counties."
Health Access for Migrant Workers
UVM College of Arts and Sciences News; by Lily Donnelly
April 14, 2021: "When people think of Vermont, they often think of the state’s rich agricultural heritage, Holstein cows, award-winning cheeses and local foods. Yet most of this agriculture relies on the labor of undocumented migrant workers, who have a hand in everything from milking the Holsteins and mucking out their stalls to picking apples and other crops. And yet, between the state’s northern Canadian border and recent federal immigration policies, living and working in Vermont brings many challenges — including access to health care, the risk of trauma and mental health issues — to a workforce the state relies so heavily upon."
These comics help combat mental health challenges for migrants in Vermont
PRI, The World; by Kaitlin E. Thomas
February 12, 2020: "Imagine becoming a character in your favorite comic book. For Latino residents in Addison County, Vermont, seeing their stories illustrated in print has been key to tackling some of the mental health challenges of migration. Soon, their stories will be available for readers across the United States."