By Gregory Diamant 

Based in California for more than 25 years, photographer David Bacon has been documenting labor, the global economy, war and migration, and the struggle for human rights. His articles on these topics often appear in “The American Prospect,” “The Nation,” “The Progressive,” and other journals. Bacon’s photography provides a stirring look into the lives of working people at the bottom of our society, people who grow and prepare the food we eat, who clean our houses and hotel rooms, who care for our children and their struggles for a better life. In many ways the injustices our society inflicts on working people are concentrated with immigrants, especially those of color. As the pandemic unfolds, one can see how this population of working people is especially affected by the lack of proper health care and medical insurance, housing, and abysmal working conditions. It should come as no surprise that those at the bottom of our society economically give so much yet receive so little in return as their humanity is all too often thrust aside by those in power. You can view his photographs at http://dbacon.igc.org/. He will illustrate his talk with some of these images. 

His latest book, “In the Fields of the North” (“En los campos del norte”) includes more than 300 photographs and 12 oral histories of farm workers. Earlier books. “The Right to Stay Home” and “Illegal People,” both published by the Unitarian Universalist’s Beacon Press, discuss alternatives to forced migration and the criminalization of migrants. Previous books include “Communities Without Borders” containing over 100 photographs and 50 narratives about transnational migrant communities, and “The Children of NAFTA,” an account of worker resistance on the US/Mexico border in the wake of NAFTA. 

This webinar is part of a weekly series on a variety of social issues featuring thought provoking thinkers. The Center for Global Justice is devoted to research and learning for a better world. We offer these webinars every Monday at 1pm. Tune in at www.globaljusticecenter.org. You can also view past programs there.