Quick Take
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez discusses the impact of his monthlong hunger strike against pesticide applications near schools in the Pajaro Valley and also shares more details on his work to empower youth in his community.
This midwinter season, Lookout Santa Cruz is checking in with some of the people and topics we’ve covered over the past year.
Nearly three months after ending a 30-day hunger strike to protest the application of pesticides near schools in the Pajaro Valley, activist Omar Dieguez says his work is just getting started.
“I’m not going to stop this new year,” said the youth mentor at Santa Cruz-based Barrios Unidos. “We’re going to do a lot. I feel like it’s going to be a strong year, and we have a lot of plans to keep the awareness.”
Dieguez, 48, fasted throughout the month of September to bring awareness to the harmful effects of pesticide exposure in the region. He, alongside activists from Watsonville-based Campaign for Organic Regenerative Agriculture (CORA), pushed for Driscoll’s — the region’s largest berry grower — to convert all of its fields near schools and residential areas to organic ones.
The activist told Lookout that fasting for 30 days was a rewarding experience for him. Dieguez traveled throughout the area to give presentations to schools and different community organizations to bring awareness and empower the younger generation to use their voices for change.
In the final days of his fast, Dieguez visited the hospital for a stomach infection caused by malnourishment. Doctors prescribed him antibiotics and recommended that he continue his fast. Dieguez drank water and sage tea, and was still able to finish out his fast without a break. Altogether during the month, he lost 52 pounds.
PESTICIDES IN THE PAJARO VALLEY: Read Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage here
Dieguez added that he would do another hunger strike if the “time is right.” But he said he would do some things differently, such as fewer presentations to preserve his energy — a lesson he learned very quickly — and he would camp out in a public space to bring more attention to the issue.
Despite succeeding in bringing awareness of pesticide exposure to the community, Dieguez was not able to present to high school students in Pajaro Valley Unified School District. “The saddest part about the whole thing was not being able to come into our own schools,” he said.
He previously told Lookout that school officials were “blocking” him from speaking with high school students. The principal at Pajaro Valley High School had asked him to get fingerprinted, submit his presentation to the district for review and get permission slips from students.
Dieguez was also asked to invite Driscoll’s to present, to show “both sides” of the pesticides issue. The berry grower responded to his invitation, but declined to present alongside the activist, opting to send a speaker on a different date, according to Dieguez.
Looking back, Dieguez said he’s learned not to take situations like that personally, and instead to see the positives that have come from it. Students at Pajaro Valley High School, with the help of their teachers, organized a town hall on pesticides outside of school hours, he said. They are also writing letters to local and state elected officials.
“I’m super proud of those students,” Dieguez said. “They’re doing something with the information. They’re trying to make change. So, yeah, something good came out of it.”
Attention from that situation indirectly influenced district officials to explore changing Pajaro Valley Unified’s policy for how controversial issues are discussed in classrooms. Under the new policy, if a speaker is invited to present on a controversial topic and the talk is one-sided, “the teacher shall be responsible for ensuring that students also receive information on opposing viewpoints.”
“We brought so much attention to the problem that it forced them to look into it. … I don’t think they came up with a good conclusion yet, but it’s forcing them to look into it,” Dieguez said.
The school district ended its contract with Barrios Unidos to provide mentors on high school campuses earlier this year, but Dieguez continues to be there for the students.
“I’m going to continue to do the work whether I’m in the schools or not,” he said. The mentorship Dieguez and the nonprofit provide empowers students by allowing them to express themselves through their culture and introducing them to Indigenous practices, such as smudging and sweat lodges.
Outside of the school setting, the activist is helping shape the next generation of leaders by helping relaunch the Watsonville chapter of the Brown Berets — an organization that helped him find his calling as an activist. The goal is to teach youth about leadership, offer mentorship and host community events in the new year, he said.
“I’m here for the long run. I know a lot of other people are in it for the long run,” Dieguez said. “So, don’t give up. Sí se puede.”
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