The Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) recently celebrated and honored the farmworker families of Santa María at an event called La Cultura Cura (The Culture Cures).

Farmworker families applaud as they listen to speakers during La Culltura Cura in Santa Maria.
Farmworker families applaud as they listen to presentations that were given in Spanish and Mixteco. Credit: Courtesy photo

More than 60 people attended the event, which aimed to help build a more united community that connects and strengthens through art. Music, dance, song, poetry and painting were the centerpieces of the night.

After a year often marked with painful reminders about the challenges faced by farmworkers, from high-profile investigations of labor violations to the workplace deaths of farmworkers in Guadalupe and Cuyama, La Cultura Cura offered an opportunity to reflect in joy and value family bonding moments.

CAUSE and MICOP have strived to promote spaces that are inclusive and diverse, and that connect with the interests and needs of the local community.

The two groups, with a long history in their communities, have trained their staff to provide interpretation, education and organization services from a multicultural perspective.

Neither age nor language were barriers to enjoying La Cultura Cura. Children, youth and adults were able to appreciate the different artistic offerings, presented in Spanish and Mixteco.

Through the shared space created by La Cultura Cura farmworkers harvest connections with one another in their native Spanish or indigenous language.


“Oftentimes, our community is united during times of disparity, bonding over the difficulties and troubles of life and work,” said Monse Garcia-Jimenez, CAUSE organizer. 
”It was important for us to create a space that uplifted the positives of farmwork and created community and unity through the beauty of culture and storytelling.

“Participants shared during the conversation that despite how hard it was to work in the field, it was a job that allowed them to appreciate their great connection with nature, with the land they harvest, and the food they grow for the benefit of every family.

“If you have food on your table, it is thanks to their hard work, which is also rewarding work”.

La Cultura Cura gave farmworkers the warmth of acknowledgment and applause for their labor as they worked tirelessly during the harvest season over the course of the year.

“It is a long overdue recognition that illuminated the path towards unity and recognition for the tireless farmworkers in California’s Central Coast during this event,” organizers said.

“La Cultura Cura not only shone a spotlight on the silent heroes but also nurtured a community of solidarity,” said Fernando Martinez, MICOP’s Santa Maria Community organizing manager.

“It was an honor to participate in this extraordinary event, contributing to the cultivation of appreciation and unity for those resilient individuals who form the backbone of our agricultural economy,” he said.

For more information about CAUSE and MICOP, their history, and scheduled events, visit causenow.org and mixteco.org.