El Camino Junior High School TItans Hoodie, Santa

In agriculture, girls still work long hours around dangerous chemicals and are unprotected by child labor laws. These are not small family farms—this is agribusiness.

Federal laws passed in 1938 helped protect children under 16. But agriculture was exempt from this legislation, allowing children to continue working in fields across America.

Monica Camacho wore protective clothing to shield her from chemicals used in the field.

"It was just super hot because we had to wear . . . protective clothes like sweaters so the chemicals or the sun doesn't hit you." —Monica Camacho, 2018

Currently not on view

This El Camino Junior High School, Santa Maria, CA sweatshirt (hoodie) was used by agricultural worker Monica Camacho Ramirez.

Monica Camacho Ramirez was born in La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico on February 3, 1994. Her mother, Martha Ramirez, was an agricultural worker. Monica migrated to the United States when she was six years old and settled in La Puente, California. She attended Santa Maria High School in Santa Maria, California. She began working as a farm worker when she was 17 years old picking strawberries to help her mother with medical bills and later used her money to pay for her DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). She describes the hardships of working in the fields picking strawberries, pumpkins, chilies, tomatoes and weed-picking. She mentions working with fellow high school girl friends who formed a crew. She states that she and her friends opted for fieldwork because it was accessible to people with or without legal documentation and for teenagers seeking to secure a full-time summer employment. She describes a regular workday to be eight to twelve hours, six to seven days of the week, and mentions people younger than 15 years old working in the fields. Interestingly, workers were forbidden from eating the crops they picked because of the chemicals used posed a danger to their health. Monica talks about saving her money to help her mother in case of a family emergency, to pay for her DACA, and to finance for her first car. She spends details the process of filing her DACA application. After receiving the DACA Monica started to work at the retail store where she states the wages were significantly lower but not as physically demanding than the fields.

Currently not on view

In agriculture, girls still work long hours around dangerous chemicals and are unprotected by child labor laws. These are not small family farms—this is agribusiness.

Federal laws passed in 1938 helped protect children under 16. But agriculture was exempt from this legislation, allowing children to continue working in fields across America.

Monica Camacho wore protective clothing to shield her from chemicals used in the field.

"It was just super hot because we had to wear . . . protective clothes like sweaters so the chemicals or the sun doesn't hit you." —Monica Camacho, 2018

Currently not on view