Model Essay for “Farmworkers and Slavery” Slavery was formally abolished in the 19th century, but has it really been abolished? Dolores Huerta in her article “Farmworkers and Slavery” argues that slavery still persists today and one of its modern forms is farm work. Huerta claims that farmworkers are not socially protected by the government and work and live in brutal, slave like conditions. In addition, Huerta states that the concept of violence needs to be broadened to include the harm faced by those who are disadvantaged or discriminated against. I totally agree with the author that our society is plagued by different forms of slavery and nonphysical violence. To begin with, I agree with the author’s point that slavery exist in new and …show more content…
The article points out, “What is violence? It’s not just when somebody, or wars, it’s everything we see in society that makes people suffer.” That is to say, the concept of violence needs to go beyond physical harm and include the mental harm and other forms of harm suffered by people. I feel that this important because some of the most damaging harm that many people suffer is not physical, but mental. This mental harm is usually not visible, but it can be psychological damaging and even more long-lasting than any physical scar. In addition, many individuals who are discriminated against face assaults on their identity, which sometimes can lead to negative emotion (i.e. shame, anger, and frustration). . A good illustration of this is the idea of microagression, which was discussed in an article that I read in my reading and writing class. The article defined microagression as the day to day slights, subtle behaviors, insults that many individuals endure because they belong to a minority group, like African-Americans. The article discussed an example of a young African-American boy who was followed by the owner of a shop store. The boy noted that the experience was highly demeaning and he feels hurt that he is being judged solely on his skin color, not actions. Thus, the concept of microagression connects to the article because it shows that