Welcome to the July 2009 Edition of the Laconneau
Monthly Newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE
• Book of the Month
• Political Action Forum
• Laconneau Autumn Festival
• Sentier de la Magdalene
• Regional News
• Regional Calendars
• Contact Laconneau

BOOK OF THE MONTH



Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
by Ruben Martinez

In Crossing Over,Ruben Martinez puts a human face on the experience of Mexican migrant workers who cross the borders, legally or illegally, to find work in the United States. Migrant workers routinely find themselves working long hours for low pay in dangerous jobs, frequently living in deplorable and overcrowded conditions. They are often the unseen and unappreciated link in the chain that brings food to American tables. Crossing Over brings the issues of migrant workers into focus and provides a clear portrait of life on the migrant trail.


POLITICAL ACTION FORUM

The Forgotten Worker: Agricultural Labor
~By Dana Hughes

Slavery is alive in the United States. It is made possible by ignorance and indifference. Americans are unaware of what is happening under their noses: the abuse of migrant workers. Americans are happy with the convenience of our 24-hour grocery stores and our fast-food nation. Large companies are willing to ignore human-rights violations and the trafficking of workers in order to provide the lowest possible prices for merchandise. However, the products bought in grocery stores and fast food restaurants cost much more than a sum of money; they cost lives. What abuse is taking place? How does it start? Who is perpetuating it? And how can it be stopped?

Eighty-one percent of migrant workers are immigrants from Mexico and Central America. (1) They are women, men, and even children, though most are men under the age of forty-four. (2) Some have legal immigrant status, but “more than half of farm workers in the U.S. are undocumented immigrants.” (3) The vast majority of farm workers have low education levels and little experience with the English language. As a matter of fact, “...less than five percent of Latin American-born crop workers reported that they could read and speak English well.” (4) Regardless of education level, sex, immigration status, or age, all migrant workers have experienced some form of human-rights violation. “Nearly every player along the supply chain of farm producers—including farm labor contractors, growers, suppliers, buyers, retailers, consumers, and investors—takes advantage of the desperation of farm workers.” (5)

The abuse of farm workers often begins with a lie. In Mexico and Central America, a farm-labor contractor or a coyote will promise future laborers a chance at a better life in the United States. Once laborers have bought into this deception, the smugglers will transport them across the border. This stage of a migrant’s life is a dangerous one. Just like past slave traders, coyotes are willing to exploit people in order to make a profit. Numerous immigrants experience health problems or lose their lives crossing the border from Mexico to the United States.

Examples of exploitation:
• Gilberto Lugo was left in the desert because he couldn’t keep up with his coyote. He was found by Border Patrol with a blister covering the ball of his foot. (6)
• On Esperanza Vazquez’s family’s crossing to the U.S., her youngest daughter died of dehydration. Esperanza’s coyote had lied to her about the amount of water needed for the journey. (7)
• Army SP4 Thomas Salemi, a former Border Patrol guard, recalls watching helplessly as an entire family was swept down the Rio Grande. (8)
• A coyote who has already been paid sometimes leaves a person or a group in the desert to die. (9)

Once across the border, migrants are treated with little respect because they are seen as less than human. The farm-labor contractor more often than not sees them as slaves being brought to a farm for work. Migrants are brought to a state with a crop ready for harvesting. Some migrant workers may be taken to Florida where they will pick tomatoes, others to North Carolina to pick cucumbers and strawberries, and others as far as Vermont to pick raspberries. When the farm workers make it to their destinations, they find that the “better life” they had been promised has no basis in reality. They are often mistreated both in the field and in the farm labor camps.

Exploitation in the field includes:
• Threats from employers for attempts to join a union
• Lack of medical insurance or health care (10)
• Unfair rates of pay for work, unfair tracking of hours worked, or no pay at all (11)
• Unsafe working conditions (12)
~ “The disability rate for U.S. farm workers is three times higher than that for the general population.”(13)
~ “An estimated 300,000 farm workers suffer pesticide poisoning each year.” (14)
~ Farm workers have little access to water during hot workdays. Six farm workers are believed to have died because of dehydration in North Carolina during 2006. (15)
 ~ Cesar Pascual was struck and killed by lightning after a contractor ordered him to keep working in a storm. (16)
• Long work days with no overtime pay (17)
• Sexual discrimination in hiring (18)
• Exploitation of child labor (19)

These are just a few of the ways migrants are mistreated in their places of work. At the end of their workday, many migrant workers are transported to migrant-worker camps where the exploitation continues.

Exploitation in migrant camps includes:
• Sexual assault of women and children. Women are afraid to report abuse for fear of being deported (even if they are legal migrants), or being separated from their families. 
• Poor living conditions
~ “Farm workers are among the worst-housed groups in the United States,” according to Housing Assistance Council, Washington, D.C.
~ “85% of all housing units are overcrowded and 50% have children living in these units according to HAC.”
~ Some units lack access to toilets. (20)
~ 16% of units surveyed have at least one major appliance broken. (21)
• Forcibly locked into farm labor camps
~ In a farm labor camp in South Carolina, Julia Gabriel was forced by gunmen to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week. (22)
~ In Cocoa, Florida, the owner of the Hydro Age tomato farm was charged with imprisoning 15 women. (23)
   ~ “In Wimauma, South Tampa, men were found padlocked in a trailer. They said they had been ‘bought’ by a labor contractor.” (24)

The food Americans eat every day comes at a high price: it has been produced at tremendous cost to the farm workers. Migrant workers experience extraordinary levels of abuse. Many employers will do anything to deliver a crop quickly and to maximize profits. And worst of all, as consumers, our ignorance sends a message to farm workers that we don’t care about the exploitation they are subjected to as long as we can pay low prices for our food.

Take Action:
The treatment of migrant workers will not improve unless we take action. One of the most important things anyone can do to help end injustice is to stay informed on the issue. To do this, please read “Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States,” Southern Poverty Law Center, 2007 {http://www.splcenter.org/pdf/static/SPLCguestworker.pdf} and  “Like Machines in the Field: Workers Without Rights in American Agriculture,” Oxfam America, 2004{http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/publications/research_reports/art7011.html}. After you have a good grasp of the issue, you must take the next step of action, which is to inform others.

Tell your family and friends about what is happening. When your friends go out to eat at Taco Bell, tell them about the fight Florida workers have had against the company. Florida workers have campaigned and boycotted fast food restaurants in order to have the price of tomatoes raised just one penny. In 2005, the Immokalee Workers convinced Taco Bell to pay more for tomatoes and in 2007/2008 they also convinced McDonalds, Burger King and Subway to do the same. (25) One penny more for a pound of tomatoes increases a migrant worker’s pay from $50 a day to $90 a day. (26) Tell your friends and family about the victory of the farm workers and how one penny can make a huge difference in a migrant worker’s life. Once you are informed, you MUST inform others. The matter cannot be dropped.

After you have become informed and have informed others, keep up with current information on the topic. You may find local labor unions working to help migrant workers in your area. Some examples are the Coalition of Immokalee Workers {http://www.ciw-online.org/} in Florida and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee {http://www.floc.com/} in North Carolina. Finally, call your representative and senators and remind them that migrant workers must be treated fairly! The injustices they experience cannot be ignored.

While you are talking to your legislators, mention the H-2A guest-worker program. H-2A program provides visas that employers can use to legally employ workers from out of the country. (27) The employer must prove that there are not sufficient numbers of U.S. workers who are able or qualified to work for their company. The employer then can use the H-2A visa to import workers. The H2-A guest worker program provides workers with legal status, but it has one stipulation that allows for abuse of workers. Under the H-2A guest-worker program, the immigration status of workers depends on their being employed by the company that originally hired them. If they report abuse, they risk losing their jobs and then are likely to be deported. Tell your congressman or -woman that you would like that stipulation in the H-2A guest-worker program to be changed.

Listen to your heart; stand up and fight for migrant workers’ rights.  All people should be treated with respect and guaranteed human rights. Help protect migrant workers through the actions you take on their behalf.

(1) “Machines in the Field: Workers Without Rights in American Agriculture,”March 2004;
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/publications/research_reports/art7011.html
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Ibid.
(6) Palm Beach Post Special Report. “Modern-Day Slavery,” 2005; http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/moderndayslavery/reports/albums1207.html
(7) Ibid.
(8) Thomas Salemi, Email Interview. June 6, 2009.
(9) Beware of the 'coyote,' ” Daily Herald, November 16, 2003; http://www.dailyherald.com/special/exodusfrommexico/day1coyote.asp
(10) “Machines in the Field: Workers Without Rights in American Agriculture,”March 2004;
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/publications/research_reports/art7011.html
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
(13) Ibid.
(14) Ibid.
(15) News Observer. “Heat Deaths on Farms Draw Little Notice,” July 13, 2007; http://www.newsobserver.com/662/story/635934.html
(16) Palm Beach Post Special Report. “Modern-Day Slavery,” 2005; http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/moderndayslavery/reports/albums1207.html
(17) “Machines in the Field: Workers Without Rights in American Agriculture,”March 2004;
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications/publications/research_reports/art7011.html
(18) Ibid.
(19) Ibid.
(20) Ibid.
(21) Ibid.
(22) Ibid.
(23) Palm Beach Post Special Report. “Modern-Day Slavery,” December 7, 2003;
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/hp/content/moderndayslavery/reports/tomatowomen1207.html  
(24) Ibid.
(25) “This Agreement Has Incredible Importance for Our Movement”-Immokalee Workers Win Agreement with Subway over Tomato Prices in Florida” Democracy Now, December 10, 2008;
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/12/10/this_agreement_has_incredible_importance_for
(25) Ibid.
(26) “Farmworkers get a Whopper of a win.” Creative Loafing, June 04, 2008;
http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/farmworkers_get_a_whopper_of_a_win/Content?oid=454791
(27) “Close to Slavery: Guestworker Programs in the United States,” Southern Poverty Law Center, February 8th, 2007
http://www.splcenter.org/pdf/static/SPLCguestworker.pdf

If you wish to respond to this article, please send a “Letter to the Editor” to alex@laconneau.org.


LACONNEAU AUTUMN FESTIVAL



Laconneau Autumn Festival
Friday October 30, - Sunday November 1, 2009
Artemis House - Greenville, NC

In the Tradition of Laconneau, the Autumn Festival is a rich and deeply meaningful time. Through this festival, we remember the One we serve as well as our sisters throughout the ages whose courage and self-sacrifice have allowed us to participate in this rich inheritance. We remember them not in sorrow but in joy, for this is the time of the inward journey, the giving up of the old life in the sure knowledge of rebirth. It is a time when we remember with hope the ancient prophecy that forms the heart of our Tradition: “Al cap dels sept cent ans reverdajara lo laurel.”

This year, we will continue to hold the Autumn Festival in the old way and in full accord with the principles of our Tradition. Come join us in Greenville, North Carolina for this wonderful weekend of comradeship, workshops, feminine spirituality and festivities. Lend your voice to the power and love of sisters such as yourself who feel a burning need to see change in this world.

The fee for the festival is $275.00. Please also budget for $15.00 per day to cover lunches and other expenses. Housing is available in the homes of the Greenville sisters and in hotels in the area. If you plan to stay at a hotel, please make your reservations quickly, as space at area hotels will be at a premium the weekend of the festival due to Halloween. To reserve your place for Autumn Festival, please send a check for $275 made out to Jehanne de Quillan to Jan Salstrom, 2508 Madison Court, Greenville, NC  27858.  Please contact Elaine at carolinas@laconneau.org for more details.

for more Information on the Autumn Festival:
http://www.laconneau.org/fallfestival1.html


SENTIER DE LA MAGDALENE



Sentier de la Magdalene
Friday, September 25 – Saturday, October 3, 2009
A Pilgrimage to Southern France

This fall, for the first time, Laconneau will be offering a combination of the Magdalene Pilgrimage and the Sentier des Cathares.  We hope this will make the trip both practical and affordable.  The trip will include mountain hiking in the Languedoc.  Details of the trip will follow in an upcoming announcement.


REGIONAL NEWS



Laconneau Scholarship Fund
The Laconneau scholarship fund has been established to assist women who areunable to afford the cost of classes.  If you are in need of a scholarship, please contact your local Laconneau coordinator.

If you would like to make a donation to the scholarship fund, please make your check out to Alex Guyol and send it to P.O. Box 261, Kingston, NJ 08528.  If you have questions, please email Alex at alex@laconneau.org.


France News
Laconneau is offering the Sentier de la Magdalene this fall from Friday, September 25 to Saturday, October 3, 2009. If you would like more information, please email Alex at alex@laconneau.org.


News from the Carolinas
The Greenville Circle raised $250 in a yard sale Saturday, June 6 at Artemis House. The proceeds will benefit the Laconneau scholarship fund.

A Level I Beginner’s Course will be held at Artemis House in Greenville on the evenings of Wednesday, July 23 and Thursday, July 24.  The class will begin at 7:00PM each evening. All women are welcome to attend.


Georgia News
The Level I Course taught on Saturday, June 6th, at Central Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta was well attended and received, as was the Level I Course taught on Sunday, June 7th, at Cedar Hill Enrichment Center in Gainesville, GA. The next date for the Level I Course will be Sunday, August 30, at Cedar Hill Enrichment Center in Gainesville. All those who have completed the course are invited to attend the Women Circles held monthly in Gainesville.

A seminar on The Gospel of the Beloved Companion will be held on Friday, August 28, 2009 7:30PM and continued on Saturday, August 29 at 10:00AM at Central Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta. The Gospel will be read in its entirety and attendees will learn about the political and historical context of the times in which it was written. The teachings contained in the Gospel will also be explained in detail.

This summer, the Gainesville meditation group will meet on the 3rd Tuesday evening of the month at 6:00PM followed by dinner and discussion. The first series of “how to go green” in a variety of aspects in our lives has been informative and will continue for another month. A second series will begin in August; participants will discuss how to become politically involved in our community.

The Decatur/Atlanta meditation group will continue hosting meditation/dinners on the first Wednesday of the month.

Meditations are held on an ongoing basis in Decatur, Marietta and Gainesville. Women’s Circles are also regularly held in Gainesville. Please check the Georgia calendar for specific times and dates.

The Georgia Circle continues to welcome all women who desire to work together to heal our communities, our country and our world.

Please contact Lynn at Georgia@laconneau.org for additional information regarding courses, Women’s Circles and Georgia Laconneau events/activities or call Lynn @ 770-654-3734.


Pennsylvania News
In June, women from the Philadelphia circle attended a screening of The Stoning of Soraya, followed by a panel discussion about women’s rights and violence against women around the world. The women who attended the screening and discussion appreciated the opportunity to see the film and to learn about what women in other parts of the world experience and fight against every day. The Stoning of Soraya portrays the tremendous courage of a woman who refused to stay silent. Despite the personal danger she faced, she used her voice and her actions to bring Soraya’s story to the world to shed light on injustice.

Following the examples of our sisters, past and present, who stand up for the rights of those without a voice, the Philadelphia circle is beginning to form our voice in local politics. We are educating ourselves about the manner in which the local government functions, how the budget is decided, and the connection between our local, state and national governments. Beginning with our own education on local issues and government, and moving into planning and organizing, the women of the Philadelphia circle are preparing to translate our growing awareness into political action. Until women stand together with the strength of our hearts and our values, the current downward trend will continue, unstopped and unchanged.

As we look around we find inspirational examples of the power behind feminine courage. Each peace movement, newly established shelter for abused or sexually assaulted women, or demand for equal representation in government grew from one lone woman standing up and saying “enough.” We welcome all women to our classes, meditations, dinners, and film screenings as we continue to build a strong foundation for this community of women.


Washington, DC News
On July 10th at 6:30PM, there will be a screening of Sicko followed by dinner and a discussion.  This documentary by Michael Moore lays bare the faults in the United States health care system where profits are paramount and saving lives is a very low priority, and where corporations have undue influence on politicians.  During the course of the film, the health care systems of Canada, Great Britain and France are favorably compared to what is currently available in the United States.

The film is shown at this time in order to coincide with current debate in the House and the Senate over the shape of a bill that could expand health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.  Democratic leaders in both chambers are trying to pass their bills before the August recess.  In the House, members of the Ways and Means Committee, Education and Labor and Energy and Commerce are working together on health care legislation. In the Senate, it is members of the Finance and Health, Education and Labor and Pensions panels who are considering the legislation.

Following the Women’s Circle on July 22, there will be a Feast of the Magdalene dinner featuring authentic recipes from the first century.  Donations for the dinner will go to the Laconneau Scholarship fund.


FRANCE: Upcoming Events



Friday, September 25 to Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sentier de la Magdalene
Southern France


GEORGIA: July Events



Wednesday July 1, 2009
Meditation, Dinner & Discussion 6:30PM
North Decatur, GA

Monday July 6, 2009
Women’s Circle 8:30PM
Gainesville, GA,
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Monday July 13, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Tuesday July 15, 2009
Meditation, Dinner & Discussion 6:00PM
Going Green
Gainesville, GA

Monday July 20, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Wednesday July 22, 2009
Women’s Circle 8:30PM
Gainesville, GA,
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Monday July 27, 2009
Meditation 6:30PM
Marietta, GA

Atlanta Calendar Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarAtlantaGA.html

Atlanta Region Coordinator: Lynn  - georgia@laconneau.org


NORTH CAROLINA: July Events



GREENVILLE, NC

Friday, July 3, 2009
Young Women’s Dinner & Discussion 6:30PM
Sisterhood
Greenville, NC

Monday, July 6, 2009
Women’s Circle 9:30PM
Artemis House
Greenville NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Thursday, July 16, 2009
Meditation, Dinner & Discussion 6:30PM
Artemis House
Greenville, NC

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Level I Beginner’s Course 7:00PM
Artemis House
Greenville, NC

Thursday, July 23, 2009
Level I Beginner’s Course (Continued) 7:00PM
Artemis House
Greenville, NC


ASHEVILLE, NC

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Women’s Circle 9:30PM
Brevard, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Friday, July 24, 2009
Women’s Circle 9:30PM
Brevard, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

North Carolina Calendar Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarGreenvilleNC.html

Carolinas Region Coordinator: Elaine – carolinas@laconneau.org


PENNSYLVANIA: July Events



Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Meditation & Discussion 6:30PM
Philadelphia, PA

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Women’s Circle 9:30PM
Philadelphia, PA
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Dinner & Discussion 7:30PM
Feminine Strength
Philadelphia, PA

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Women’s Circle 9:30PM
Philadelphia, PA
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Thursday, July 30, 2009
Film Screening 7:30PM
We Shall Remain
Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia Calendar Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarPhiladelphiaPA.html

Philadelphia Region Coordinator: Anna - Pennsylvania@laconneau.org


WASHINGTON, DC: July Events



Sunday, July 5, 2009
Meditation & Afternoon Tea 3:30PM
Falls Church, VA

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Women’s Circle, 9:30PM
Washington, DC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Friday, July 10, 2009
Film Screening & Dinner 6:30PM
Sicko
Washington, DC

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Women’s Circle & Magdalene Dinner 9:30PM
Washington, DC
For students who have completed the Level I Course

Washington, DC Calendar Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarWashingtonDC.html

Washington,DC Region Coordinator: Lorely - dc@laconneau.org


CONTACT LACONNEAU

Please contact your coordinator with questions or updated regional information.

In France:  Jehanne - jehanne@laconneau.org

In California:Alex - alex@laconneau.org

In the Carolinas: Elaine - carolinas@laconneau.org

In Georgia: Lynn - georgia@laconneau.org

In Pennsylvania: Anna - pennsylvania@laconneau.org

In Washington, DC: Lorely - dc@laconneau.org

Contact Information Online:
http://www.laconneau.com/Contact.html

Laconneau Newsletter Archive:
http://www.laconneau.com/NewsletterArchive.html


Please visit our website, http://www.laconneau.org, for the complete calendar, further articles, Laconneau’s history and additional information.

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