Conversation Transcript of Lucas Benitez's March 2000 Talk Lucas Benitez is Co-Director of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Q: How did you get started and involved in politics, and what sparked your interest? Lucas Benitez: One day about five years ago I was walking in the big parking lot here in town where we all gather in the morning to look for work in the fields and I saw a flier talking about a meeting that night, inviting workers to come and talk about problems at work. I went to the meeting with my brother, and right away I could see that it was different. We all had the right to give our opinions, there wasn't just one person who spoke while we were supposed to listen, we all got to participate. I kept attending meetings of the group that at that time was called the Southwest Florida Farmworker Project. Over time I became one of the "animators", or organizers, of the groups, and soon we changed our name to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. What sparked my interest in the Coalition more than anything else was the fact that we ourselves, farmworkers, were running our own organization and building our own movement to end the abuses against farmworkers once and for all. We built our movement on a broad base of leaders from the different worker communities - Mexican, Guatemalan, and Haitian - and developed our strength by relying not on one central leader but on the commitment and effort of many of us. As we say, "We are all leaders", and that is what I most like about our organization. Q: What are the greatest challenges for people immigrating to the U.S. in terms of the laws participating in political process and what is difference between Mexico and US? Lucas Benitez: The most difficult challenge we face is simply understanding the laws of this country. But even more specifically, as farmworkers the toughest challenge we face in our movement is trying to organize and bring our employers to the table to join us in talks on wages and other problems at work when we are excluded from the National Labor Relations Act, the law that gives all other workers in this country the rights and protections they need to organize at work. Also, since almost all of our members are immigrants, it is very hard for us to have an effective political voice, because as immigrants we can't vote, a right that was taken away from immigrants during the First World War. The difference I feel most between living here and in Mexico is that when you are in your own country you feel much more oriented, much more grounded. You have a sense of what is legal and what isn't, you have your family and your community to give you strength and security. When you move to a different country, many things you took for granted at home are no longer the case, and you can feel very lost and disoriented." Q: What are the most important issues for people served by the Coalition for Immokalee Workers and how are they related to participating in civic life? Lucas Benitez: The issues we fight for every day are respect, dignity, and better wages and working conditions for low wage workers. We organize to be able to bring an end to abuses that continue today in the fields, abuses like slavery, where during the past three years we have brought two major slavery rings to justice together with the Justice Department. In all of our work, the community itself plays and extremely important role. In fact, one of the most important results of our work over the past few years has been to actually develop a sense of community here in Immokalee where there was none before, and on that basis develop the strength of farmworkers and our political voice for the first time in Florida's history. We've managed to move a number of political leaders to get involved in our fight, including former President Jimmy Carter, Governors Chiles and Bush, and Senator Bob Graham. In that way, we as farmworkers are participating as never before in the political life of our state." Q: What role can young people play in the political process if they aren't yet old enough to vote? Lucas Benitez: Voting is just one way to take political action. As immigrants who can't vote, we have had to learn all the different ways we can have a political voice without voting. Young people can play an extremely important role politically. First, young people need to begin to actively learn about the problems in their communities, become aware of the things that need to change and the fights that communities themselves are leading. You can become involved in groups that already exist and that are active in issues that you like, or you can form your own group to address issues that you think are not being dealt with as they should. Then, take action. Action is even stronger than voting. By taking action you can bring attention to a problem that obliges politicians and business people to make changes that otherwise they would never make. Voting is important, but if all you ever did is vote, you're not really participating anyway." Q: What would you say to people who think voting won't make a difference? Lucas Benitez: If you don't vote, you are allowing other people to control your life, allowing people to decide for you without taking your interests or concerns into consideration. You'd be letting society leave its marks all over your life, and you leave no marks yourself on society. And I would remind you of how important your vote is by simply reminding you of how we, millions of immigrants living and working in this country, would give anything for the right to vote, for the right to tell a politician that if he or she doesn't listen to us he or she will lose our vote. And remember too, the thousands of people who lost their lives in the struggle for the right to vote in this great country. Voting is not everything, but it is definitely something you shouldn't give up without a fight." Note: The views expressed here have not been approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, and accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association, nor do they represent the official position or policies of the ABA Standing Committee on Public Education. >>Transcript of Jo-Anne Chasnow >>Transcript of Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins >>Transcript of Lucas Benitez >>Bio: Jo-Anne Chasnow >>Bio: Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins >>Bio: Lucas Benitez *Conversation* | Voting | Activities | Resources Online Conversations | Law, Diversity, and the Vote