The Jack Lane Colloquium began in 2006 as part of an effort by the Rollins History Department to engage with our majors, the college, and with the wider community. Our goal is to bring history and historical scholarship to a broader audience. This is both a great and horrible idea. As primary organizer, I try to bring scholars to the college who have interesting work and popular appeal. Now,if a historian thinks something is interesting, will a theater student and a biology professor agree? I try not to dwell on the answer to that question.
We have brought in outstanding speakers and highlighted our own faculty at the colloquium. Today we are proud to welcome Dr. Jim Norris from North Dakota State University to Rollins to discuss his new book North for Harvest: Mexican Workers, Growers, and the Sugar Beet Industry (2008).
NORTH FOR THE HARVEST IS ABOUT?
As a Latin American historian, Dr. Norris is engaged in an exploration of one key issue currently vexing American policy makers. How do you balance the worker rights and marketplace dynamics. For much of the twentieth century, the United States has welcomed Mexican workers as their labor allows U.S. agribusiness to flourish. The cheap price we pay for agricultural products is directly linked to growers attempts to control costs. The social justice and human rights questions raised by these activities have been the focal point for student and faculty research here at Rollins. The complexities of these issues cannot be understood by the sound-bites offered by media outlets on the left or right. We need scholars to provide context and information about these issues. With a better understanding of the history surrounding how we get our food, we can engage in a discussion about the treatment of agricultural workers, the demands of industry and role of regulation. Dr. Norris' work offers important insights on these issues and we are lucky to have the opportunity to share his work with our Central Florida community.
Dr. Norris will discuss his book March 24th at 6:00pm in the Faculty Club on campus. His talk is free and open to the public.
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