Backbreaking Collection
"Backbreaking
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"Backbreaking: A Glimpse into the Struggles of Filipino Migrant Workers during the Spanish Civil War" In this powerful collection of photographs captured by Dorothea Lange in 1939, we are transported to a time when the world was embroiled in conflict and its effects reverberated across continents. These images shed light on the backbreaking labor endured by Filipino migrant workers as they sought refuge and livelihoods far from their homeland. One photograph captures Filipinos cutting lettuce in Westmorland, Imperial Valley. Their weary faces tell tales of exhaustion as they toil under the scorching sun, their hands moving swiftly but with great strain. Another image portrays a grandmother washing clothes in a migrant camp in Stanislaus County, California. Her weathered hands scrub relentlessly at each garment, symbolizing her unwavering determination to provide for her family despite dire circumstances. The Salinas Valley becomes another backdrop for Lange's lens as she documents Filipino boys thinning lettuce. The sight of these young children engaged in grueling work is both heart-wrenching and eye-opening; it serves as a stark reminder that even youth were not spared from such arduous tasks. Lange also captures scenes from Ontario, Malheur County, Oregon - where workers load trucks amidst sugar beet fields. The sheer physicality required for this task is evident; sweat drips down their brows as they lift heavy loads onto vehicles bound for destinations unknown. Further north in Irrigon, Morrow County, Oregon, we witness a couple digging sweet potatoes - an activity that demands immense strength and endurance. Their bodies bent over with exertion serve as testaments to their resilience against all odds. A gang of Filipino boys can be seen thinning lettuce once again in Salinas Valley - united by shared struggles yet determined to persevere together.