The conditions of farm workers have deteriorated greatly since the 1970s and 80s. Taking inflation into account, wages are less than half. In photographs and testimonies, In the Fields of the North / En los Campos del Norte shows that these conditions are provoking a new wave of organizing efforts. It is the first book to do so visually, and in the words of farm workers themselves. It is a completely bilingual book, with extensive captions for all the images and oral histories in accessible narrative form.
“What is distinctive about David Bacon´s work is his persistence and determination to be present at decisive moments in the lives of workers. His photo essays allow us to feel that we are there, observing the events unfolding. We are witnesses to intimate moments of farmers working at dawn in the onion fields. We hear the testimonies of people participating in political action – with the strength of the community filling the air.” Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, professor of Chicano Studies, UCLA
David Bacon is a California-based writer and photographer. He is the author of several books about migration, including The Children of NAFTA, Communities Without Borders and Illegal People – How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants. Bacon was a factory worker and union organizer for two decades with the United Farm Workers, the International Ladies Garment Workers and other unions. Today he documents the changing conditions in the workforce, the impact of the global economy, war and migration, and the struggle for human rights. His photography has been exhibited in the U.S. Mexico and Europe, and his articles and photoessays have been published widely. As a photojournalist, David Bacon has been documenting through photographs and stories the lives of farm workers since 1988.
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