Honoring Migrant Farmworkers: Reflecting on 65 Years Since Harvest of Shame

Sixty-five years ago today, CBS aired Harvest of Shame, a groundbreaking documentary exposing the harsh conditions faced by migrant farmworkers across the United States. Beginning in South Florida and following the agricultural trail north, the documentary revealed overcrowded housing, low wages, and grueling labor—the realities of what the producer called the “sweatshops of the soil.”

This year, Plusurbia is partnering with the Miami-Dade County Office of Historic Preservation and community liaisons in South Dade to produce the Migrant Farmworkers Historic Context Study. The project honors the generations of workers whose labor, advocacy, and culture have shaped the region for more than a century, preserving their stories and contributions for the future.