Over the last three years I have pointed out the occasions where people in pictures are not identified.

A couple of years ago, I commented on your Orchards, Nuts and Vines section. In the 2019 section, of the 14 captioned photos that had people readily visible, 13 captions named the people in them (even Nelson the dog got named!). Unfortunately, the one photo on page 12 (folks working the packing line) are only identified as “employees.”

This same thing happened again in your July 10 and 17, 2020, editions. Many of these photos show them doing the manual labor that is so prevalent with many of Oregon’s crops. All other photos of people in these editions actually have their names in the caption.

While the ownership and management of the means of agriculture production in Oregon are primarily white folk, it would be nice now and again to pay some tribute and appreciation to those who often work for minimum wage. Many of those working Oregon’s labor-intensive crops (who are not typically white) often work in less than ideal conditions. Remember that agricultural workers often don’t get many of the benefits that other workers enjoy (eg unemployment compensation). And nearly all of them are essential workers at high risk of contracting COVID-19.

While I understand that your paper is read by many who are seeking to make a profit, it would be nice to humanize these workers by actually naming them.

As a long time subscriber to the Capital Press and someone who has dedicated my life to providing housing for agricultural workers, I would hope that we value the workers as much as we value the owners, general managers and others who make up this great industry. Given the fact that Latinos are a huge part of the agricultural workforce, undervaluing their labor (and their identities) only further stigmatizes them. Given the current political climate, many of them live in fear of driving to work, taking their kids to school, and just trying to put food on the table. Let’s try and be a little more cognizant that this $5 billion dollar industry in Oregon wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the contributions of 150,000 farmworkers and their families.

I would like to ask that your newspaper stop publishing pictures that have captions that don’t identify the people in the pictures. By not naming the people in these photos, we do not fully humanize them. I would ask that the newspaper be diligent about naming people or be honest and publish that people would rather have their names withheld.

Small steps like this might make it easier to start discussing what immigration reform might look like when we acknowledge the humanity of everyone who is living in our communities.

Peter Hainley

Executive Director,

Casa of Oregon

Sherwood, Ore.