The Unseen explores the daily lives of farmworkers in Central California, who play an indispensable role in putting food on our dinner tables. Unfortunately, many have chosen not to be seen, finding comfort being in the shadows because they (or a family member) are undocumented.
Labor is the most limited resource in agriculture, which is threatened even more when our country tightens its immigration policies. We have an unspoken mutual dependence on immigration that has existed for over a century. But still, there is no solution.
Having developed many relationships at the farms, I felt it was important to show a true story of the heroic, hardworking people I’ve met, and to reveal their sense of pride and contributions so that people see them as the essential workers they are. Paradoxically, we labeled them “essential” (albeit temporarily) early in the COVID crisis when our food supply was threatened.
I want my work to help keep this conversation out in the open so that we can find solutions.
