FREMONT, Ohio — Amelia Reyna is a Mexican immigrant and retired farm worker living in Fremont, Ohio.
She spends much of her time organizing for her community, both through the nonprofit Justice for Migrant Women, and her church.
“My work in the church is also volunteer work,” she said, in Spanish. “It’s a job I do with great pleasure.”
Reyna first came to Texas in the 80s with her husband, who was a musician.
In the late 90s, they heard there was farm work in Michigan that paid well, where they wouldn’t owe rent.
Reyna’s husband had to finish out his contract in Texas, so she and their kids traveled up North without him, stopping first in Ohio where Reyna’s brother lived, and then to Michigan to work.
“I came with the idea that we were going to make money,” Reyna said.
When she got to Michigan, the woman who welcomed her to the labor camp told her she would have to pay, and the living conditions weren’t great.
She would be sharing a space with other workers.
“I told her we came to work, to earn money, not to destroy my furniture and be walking every day in the fields,” said Reyna. “So the same day I arrived, I went back to Ohio.”
Reyna said it was scary, showing up to a place that was so different than expected and in need of money for herself and her kids.
Luckily, she was able to stay in Fremont with her brother while she looked for other work.
“I felt very frustrated because I had no money. Here in Ohio, I had bought enough groceries to last fifteen days. Because she said I would be paid in 15 days,” said Reyna. “And I had just that in groceries, I only saved what I needed for gas.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2021, women make up 28.1% of farmworkers.
Reyna works with an organization called Justice for Migrant Women, whose mission is to “protect and advance migrant women’s rights through education, public awareness and advocacy.”
Elizabeth Becerra is a coordinator with the organization, and said it can be hard for these women to stand up for themselves on their own.
“We want them to hear their voice,” Becerra said. “They’re not invisible. So, having this organization helps women come up and say ‘Yes we can do it. We’re not going to be silent, and we want help.’”
Reyna was recently recognized as Justice for Migrant Women’s “Agent of Change” this year for her contributions to the community, and said it was an honor.
“I don’t really feel like I have done that much. But now that I’m in this program, I’ve seen that they’re fighting for laws, for better services for people,” she said. “It’s the reason why I joined, to learn more about how we can help the people that are really struggling.”
Reyna doesn’t plan on stopping that fight any time soon.
