Acknowledgements
I am so grateful to so many.
First, to the farmworkers who trusted me enough to share their stories. By doing so, each of them put at risk their ability to support their families. For the opportunity to understand the employer’s perspective, I heartily thank the growers who shared their own stories, especially Robert Dawson and his parents, Pam and Earl. It was a challenge finding growers willing or available to speak with me. Fortunately, Lee Wicker and Jay Hill of the North Carolina Growers Association can, and did, speak for more than seven hundred. I cannot thank them enough.
The farm labor community includes far more than workers and growers. I am deeply grateful to the generous experts who answered endless questions, to those who helped me find those experts, and to those who assisted me in countless other ways. Among these are Uvaldo Acosta, Juan Allen, Dave Austin, Florence Babb, Andrew Beal, Katie Becker, Roberta Bellamy, Kaci Bishop, Neil Boisen, Alejandra Bravo Barrera, Carol Brooke, Ken Broun, Michelle Bullock, Montserrat Caballero, Melissa Castillo, Silvia Cendejas, Mauricio Chenlo, Fred Clarkson, Ted Conover, Jill Cramer, Nathan Dollar, Esmeralda Dominguez, Dick Durbin, Justin Flores, Maria Guerrero, Max Graybill, Hanna Gill, Mary Lee Hall, Cate Hodorowicz, Aaron Jacobson, Lori Fernald Khamala, Robert Martinez, Ally Mendoza, Ariel Montanez, Grey Moran, Patti Navarro, Anna Novak, Cuyler O’Connor, Anna Reyes, Linda Reyes, Clermont Ripley, Mildred Rivera, Daniel Robayo, Beth Rodman, Roberto Rosales, Caitlin Ryland, Anaí Santibañez, Rob Segovia-Welch, Quirina Vallejos, Jonathan Schultheis, Margarita Vasquez Martinez, Baldemar Velasquez, Anne Weaver, Katerina Whitley, Melinda Wiggins, and Leticia Zavala.
A few people shared their time and knowledge then decided not to be associated with my project. I thank these folks nonetheless, as I do several others who provided me information on background.
I hope it goes without saying how much I relied on Juan Carabaña, outreach director extraordinaire, for his endless patience as I forever tugged at his heals while he was trying to get his work done. The farmworker community is lucky to have this guy. Thank you, Juan.
Thanks go to Eli Broun for the awesome thematic map of farm labor camps, and to Susannah Broun for much-appreciated encouragement. My son, Marlow Durbin, and daughter, Greta Durbin, were reliable sources of information, tips, and encouragement. So too were my wife, Becky Broun; my father-in-law, Peter Filene; and my mother, Lorraine Durbin—a priceless trio who also trudged through the unholy mess of words that comprised the first draft of this book. That’s love.