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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2001)
dacamher ? 1, ?001 » “ *jt3 iH U iìiilw ^ ììn e w s S teve Witte certainly does not want to sound cliché. Yet in his heart, he has a strong belief that no person is free as long as others are held in bondage. That is why he calling for gay, les Gay priest helps farmworkers in their struggle for justice bian, hi and trans people to help stand up for the by Tom Steven son rights of farmworkers— who, he says, have much more in common with sexual minorities many might think. The openly gay man brings a unique under standing of the common bond between the two groups. “Both communities are seen as dispos able, not deserving of equal rights, by the community,” he says. Witte recently was named executive director o'f the Oregon Farm Worker Ministry, which links people of faith with farmworkers’ for justice. This is a message he thinks everyone needs to hear. “My job is connecting with people of vari ous religious traditions and practices, helping them to understand the plight of farmworkers in the Willamette Valley,” he says. “ 1 share the physical conditions they labor under. I want people to understand the constant exposure to toxic chemicals by both the workers and their families. 1 hope to educate others to under stand the socioeconomic conditions that force them to leave their homes in Mexico and other countries to be willing to work in such inhumane conditions.” Witte is not the most likely person one would expect to serve as a farmworker advo cate. First, he serves in a field in which most Steve Witte’s mission is to make people of faith aware of farmworker oppression people are not accustomed to seeing gay men. Additionally, he is a white man representing a leave of absence from his diocese. Although ing he was influenced by nuns who were arrest community predominantly composed of peo the role is important to him, he is hesitant ed in civil rights actions. In addition, he says ple of color. to talk about it because he does not want that serving as a priest in inner-city parishes Still, Witte insists the support he has people to "pigeonhole helped prepare him received from colleagues has been incredible. me or think they for this job and that "I hope to educate others to “1 have encountered many who work in know where I stand other experiences, social justice areas as having a sexual minority because of that piece including accepting understand the socioeconomic o f inform ation.” connection either in their immediate families his homosexuality, or extended families,” he says. “Some of the “I believe God con conditions that force them to leave made him understand mainstream religious folks might balk at my tinues to reveal divine “the need for reform their homes in Mexico and other and liberation for sexual orientation. I really don’t allow that to wisdom to us individual- interfere. Should it raise its head, well, 1 would iv and communally," countries to be all.” to in reminder them of Jesus’ reaching out to those Witte thinks sexu Witte says. 1 believe I . i • // who were outside the mainstream of society— that i am on this path such inhumane conditions. al minorities can do for a reason, and that to use the Hebrew word for them, the anawim, many things to sup reason is continually meaning the poor and outcast.” port the farmworker Witte thinks the color issue doesn’t present being revealed to me. I cause. T h e most any harriers, either. am certain that working for liberation and social important, he says, is to become aware. “ Before I was even aware of my being gay, I justice are an important part of the ministry. I He also is promoting the farmworker was curious as to how others lived,” he says. see that my position with Oregon Farm Worker unions’ boycott of offending companies. Ministry is both a call to minister to people on “As a child, my favorite sitter was a black “Become aware of the dangers of imported teen-ager named Gloria. She taught us how to the edges of society and to be a prophetic voice foods that are putting local growers out of dance, to listen to Motown, to open our world to make folks aware of injustice and transgres business— [for] example, fruit from China that beyond life in our neighborhood. To this day, sion of G od’s law of love.” is being sold at local markets for less than Gloria and her family are [my] friends.” Witte credits his Catholic high school edu locally grown fruit.” W itte is a C ath olic priest who is on a cation for inspiring him to fight injustice, not- Witte adds the terrorist attacks on New F ield of D reams Sieve Witte FENG JHUI Guides & directs home energies of family, love, health, career, business, wealth and more... 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According to Witte, kids bathe in the same areas where their parents work, which results in “a greater concentration of chemicals in their blood.” In addition, those children live in camps with no place to play. Many kids end up working themselves. “In some cases, children as young as 5 are picking berries in the fields among plants covered in chemicals,” Witte says. He doesn’t want people to think all growers “are evil or bad people. They are not,” he maintains. “Some are just as trapped as the farmworkers in an oppressive situation, and economically they cannot be severed from this system,” Witte says. "Some of the larger growers and growers’ co-ops maintain this system. Some growers can not at this time break away from status quo for fear of losing their family farms. Until more peo ple in the Willamette Valley rise up and make it quite clear that such injustice is not acceptable, it will continue.” Witte’s hope, above all else, is that sexual minorities, who understand oppression, will be among those to raise their voices in support of farmworkers. “There are horrible, slavelike con ditions at our doorsteps," he says. And his goal is to convince others that something has to be said— and done— to allevi ate those conditions. j n For more information about the OREGON F arm W o r k e r M in ist r y visit the Internet site home. earthlink. net / -ofw m j. T om STEVENSON is a Portland free-lance writer and a full-time Portland State University student who can be reached at ruraltom@yahoo.com.
