Breaking Barriers to Justice
Sí, Se Puede: The Enduring Fight for Environmental Justice for Farmworkers By Kelsey L. Campbell
On May 12, 2026, CAOC attendees at Justice Day in Sacramento were treated to a rousing speech by the iconic Dolores Huerta. At ninety-six years old now, Ms. Huerta is as fiery as ever. Her lifelong work of organizing and advocating for farmworkers and impacted communities before government actors and California’s $60 billion agricultural industry is an inspiration. Following the 2016 presidential election, I was inspired to learn about social justice and the challenges faced by Californians in the Central Valley. I spent summer 2017, following my 2L year, in Delano and Bakersfield—the founding location of the farmworker movement—working for a non-profit that provides legal support to grassroots groups on environmental issues affecting low-income communities and communities of color. My interest in the farmworker movement was an outgrowth of my childhood. I grew up on the Central Coast of California, where through the car window, I passed miles of agricultural fields lining Highway 101 from Santa Maria to the Salinas Valley (the “Salad Bowl of the World”). I recall taking part in a strawberry eating contest as a child during the annual
strawberry festival—I think I may have even earned a top place! In school, I read numerous John Steinbeck novels, exploring the harsh realities of agricultural life and the struggles of laborers. A family friend had a small organic farm and taught me to respect those whose labor produces our prized fruit and vegetables. During my summer in the Valley, I learned that the geographic conditions that make so much of California fertile for agriculture also create harsh conditions for people working the land. The San Joaquin Valley acts as a natural bowl, enclosed by the Sierra Nevada to the east, the Tehachapi Mountains to the south, and the Coast Ranges to the west. Sediment runoff from these mountain ranges has filled the valley with some of the most fertile soil in the world. But due to this same topography, the Valley rarely sees strong winds, trapping pollutants in the Valley. Laborers and their families are exposed to the aggregate effects of industrial agriculture, oil extraction, and hydraulic fracturing. Consequently, Latino children in the Central Valley face disproportionately high rates of childhood asthma and respiratory issues. Children of farmworkers often attend schools that are nestled among the agricultural fields. Pesticide drift from agricultural activity is an ongoing health concern for these school children. State regulations mandate a quarter mile buffer zone around campuses, but children continue to be exposed to dangerous pesticides on school days. Children are uniquely vulnerable to pesticides because their skin absorbs
Kelsey L. Campbell is an attorney at Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Team LLP. She is a member of the CAOC Board of Directors and has been recognized as a Northern California Super Lawyer Rising Star since 2023. She is licensed in California and the District of Columbia. Prior to the practice of law, Kelsey served in the federal government for over a decade.
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Consumer Attorneys of California
FORUM July/August 2026
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