This Thanksgiving, Let Us Remember America’s Latino Essential Workers

As our families get together in small or individual thanksgiving dinners, we must recognize the essential front-line workers who help put that delicious ham or turkey on our table. Think about the farmworkers who helped us get those mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables we are enjoying as side dishes to our meals.

These majority Latino and refugee workers have not been allowed to do their jobs from the safety of their homes, and the majority have labored throughout the pandemic, at greater risk to themselves. To most Americans, they are the invisible people. Yet, they are not invisible to the COVID-19 virus that has hit them the hardest, with thousands getting infected, sick, and untold thousands dying. LULAC is the first independent neutral third party that asked all the major meatpacking companies to make their workers' safety the number one priority. Today, the rate of workers who are having to be hospitalized or who are dying has gone down but much more must be done. LULAC continues to fight every day to improve the safety and working conditions for our country’s meatpacking and farm workers, a battle we will not give up.

So, as we give thanks for the blessings of a very tough 2020, let us give thanks to all the essential workers who put the food on America’s table this Thanksgiving. From our familia to theirs, gracias por todo!

Domingo Garcia
LULAC National President

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/