Photographs Depict Migrant Farmworkers' Lives [Thurs. Oct. 18 and later]

Migrant farmworkers are becoming part of Jackson County in a big way. They come to Western North Carolina for jobs and often stay here, bringing their families.

Western Carolina University is partnering with a regional non-profit to present a series of events to raise local awareness of these new residents.

A photographic exhibit opens Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University and continues through Saturday, Dec. 1. The photographs have been assembled by Vernicos, Inc., a non-profit organization that works with farmworkers in Jackson and other nearby counties.

Also, on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., the public is invited to a panel discussion at the Fine and Performing Arts Center. Topics include, Who are the migrant farm workers? What are the challenges they face? On the panel will be Mark Heffington, medical director of Mountain Area Family Medicine, and Mark Couture, associate professor of modern foreign languages at WCU and a board member of Vecinos. A reception follows.

For more information, contact FPAC Museum Director Martin DeWitt at 227-2253 or visit http://www.wcu.edu/5124.asp . To learn more about the Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, contact Josie Ellis, RN, at 508-9785 or visit http://www.idealist.org/en/org/128309-282