Each year, National Farmworkers Awareness Week (NFAW) offers an important opportunity to recognize and celebrate the essential role farmworkers play in sustaining our food system and communities. From March 25th to 31st, we join participants across the country to honor the labor and resilience of farmworkers while also drawing attention to the inequities they continue to face. Although this is a process we are consistently engaged in, NFAW provides a focused week to call attention to these issues for our students, guests, and community members.
This NFAW, we are honored to partner more closely with Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF), the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that founded National Farmworker Awareness Week back in 1998. Since the organization was founded in 1992, SAF has harnessed the organizing power of students to improve conditions for farmworkers and their families, expand access to resources, and build diverse coalitions working for social change.
SAF’s programs are built to provide educational access and resources for farmworkers as well as leadership training for students, including the Levante Leadership Institute and several internship programs for students to gain experience with advocacy and organizing efforts. These initiatives not only provide critical support for farmworkers but are also cultivating the next generation of advocates.
SAF launched National Farmworker Awareness Week in 1998 as a national week of action to inform and mobilize students, community members, and partner organizations. During NFAW, campuses and institutions across the United States host events, educational programming, and advocacy efforts to highlight farmworker issues and elevate their voices.
Bon Appétit is committed to using our platform to support the fight for farmworker’s rights. For over a decade, we have partnered with SAF to celebrate National Farmworker Awareness Week to increase awareness of the progress and continued struggles of the movement to protect the rights of farmworkers, as well as our purchasing commitments that prioritize fair labor practices. During NFAW and throughout the year, we work to raise awareness within our communities about the importance of farmworkers’ rights, following the lead of organizations on the ground driving this movement.
After decades of organization and advocacy, significant challenges remain for farmworkers due to exclusion from labor protections, harsh conditions, and political vulnerabilities. We are proud to partner with Student Action with Farmworkers, and we invite guests to join us this National Farmworker Awareness week to learn more about the work of SAF and the movement at large.