Suzanne Gladney, immigration attorney and Miguel Morales join us in the studio to discuss the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund and writing workshops with students and families.
Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund (MFAF) is based in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1984, MFAF’s services were organized originally as part of Migrant Farmworkers Project (MFP), a project of Legal Aid of Western Missouri. MFAF was established as a separate non-profit in 1998, and was accorded 501c3 IRS status in 2003. MFAF serves and empowers Missouri’s migrant and seasonal farmworkers. MFAF’s staff meet with migrant farmworkers when they first arrive at the orchards in late summer to determine their eligibility for public benefits, for medical and dental services, and to complete school enrollment forms. From then until workers migrate elsewhere, MFAF seeks to meet critical needs and assist with a variety of health and other issues. For those families that settle in the area, ongoing assistance is provided
Suzanne Gladney is an immigration attorney and advocate for justice. She founded and volunteers with the Migrant Farmworkers Project, serving migrant farmworkers picking Missouri’s fruit and vegetable crops. She held the position of Managing Attorney at Legal Aid of Western Missouri for more than 36 years. She specializes in immigration law and advises community agencies serving immigrants. She is a frequent speaker on immigration and migrant farmworker issues and is active in a number of community, cultural and social justice organizations.
Miguel M. Morales grew up in Texas working as a migrant & seasonal farmworker. He currently serves as the president of the Latino Writers Collective. Miguel is a Lambda Literary Fellow studying under Alex Sanchez and Malindo Lo. He also studied under Joy Castro at the Macondo Workshop. As a journalist, Miguel earned numerous awards including the Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award.
Miguel’s work appears in:
• Primera Página: Poetry from the Latino Heartland
• Cuentos del Centro: Stories from the Latino Heartland
• From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction
• Hibernation, and other poems by bear bards
• Pilgrimage magazine
• The Lambda Literary Review
The forthcoming:
• Joto: An Anthology of Queer Xicano & Chicano Poetry
• Raspa magazine.
