Jose, a quiet 14-year-old, was squatting and bending over for hours with other workers in a sprawling strawberry field. The pickers, many of them also minors, snapped berries from plants and placed them in plastic cartons, eight of them in a cardboard box. They moved quickly along the long rows that lined the field. Jose was exhausted but working as fast as he could; he was being paid $2.40 for each box he filled.
The Migrant Education program, vital for children of agricultural workers, is defunded, resulting in halted and cut back services across California, affecting many students.
