Growing up in Ohio and a family of farm workers, Monica Ramirez was inspired to dedicate her career to fighting for farm worker women.

Then in 2017, as women in entertainment began to take on sexual assault was inspired to dedicate her career to fighting for farmworker women.

Then in 2017, as women in entertainment began to take on sexual assault in their industry,

Monica shared a declaration of support and solidarity on behalf of women farmworkers that would shape both the Times' up movement and the course of Monica's own life.

Thank you. and the course of Monica's own life. Monica, thank you so much for doing this.

Thank you.

It's always a pleasure to be here with you.

Monica, your work fundamentally centers on justice. What is your

early memory of witnessing injustice? My earliest recollection of understanding that something was

wrong that needed to be fixed was, you know, when I was 14 years old, the new, the local

newspaper had this huge pullout section that was about fishermen,

welcoming them back into the area. It was really bothersome to me that there wasn't something like

that for farm workers because I come from a farm worker community in that area. And my parents,

spent a lot of time. My father in particular, it's been a lot of time talking to us about

the importance of lifting up the community and honoring the work. And so that's one of the most

visible memories that I have. And it was actually the thing that I think really propelled me

into the activism that I do today. Back in 2003, you launched the first legal project in this country focused on addressing sexual harassment, other forms of gender discrimination against farm worker women.

And over the course of about a decade, that work grows into justice for migrant women.

What is interesting to me about that, Monica, is that we've all seen the studies about harassment, about sexual

violence in the fields. How was it possible that this was a void that wasn't filled? And what was it

that allowed you to identify it as a need? Unfortunately, I think many of us have experienced gender-based violence or have witnessed

gender-based violence. And in my family, from a very young age, I remember violence. Not within my

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