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Rising From The Roots

Vanessa passes out on her mom's bed after school. Antonia prepares to return to her daughter's school later for English classes. While the girls are bilingual, the family only speaks in Spanish. Over 80 percent of people in Immokalee speak a language other than English in their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Justin Bright/WUFT News)
Vanessa passes out on her mom's bed after school. Antonia prepares to return to her daughter's school later for English classes. While the girls are bilingual, the family only speaks in Spanish. Over 80 percent of people in Immokalee speak a language other than English in their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Justin Bright/WUFT News)

It’s been 20 years since Antonia Rios left Oaxaca for the United States. She believed her hometown in southern Mexico offered no future to raise a family as she wanted.

In Immokalee, Florida, she found home. Antonia and her husband Piwi Rios carved out a living for their beloved family of four, despite the long hours and low wages picking tomatoes. This year, Antonia became a citizen of the United States.

"Some of us come for opportunity," Antonia said. "I am grateful to be living here in the U.S. I know that we can work hard and live simply."

Now, Antonia rarely works in the fields but still stands in solidarity with the workers. She is an active member of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a union that fights for better rights and work standards in the farms of South Florida.

Justin is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by emailing news@wuft.org or calling 352-392-6397.