Musicians, photographer in Milk with Dignity

Well-known musicians Kat Wright, Tish Hinojosa and Pía Zapata are making music to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Migrant Justice’s Milk with Dignity program, Saturday, Sept. 24, Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

In addition to the live music, there’ll be a photo exhibition by local photographer Terry J. Allen as well as presentations from Milk with Dignity Program participants. The celebration will also include a dinner of Mexican food, Hill Farmstead brews, cocktails featuring Barr Hill spirits and free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Proceeds benefit the Milk with Dignity standards council.

Kat Wright lives in Burlington but has rocketed to a national following in recent years with a voice that critics say is “equal parts delicate and powerful.” Add to that voice enough stage presence to tame lions, and the combination often proves immediately enchanting.

Tish Hinojosa is a singer-songwriter from Austin. Her blend of folk, country, Latino and pop has garnered her accolades such as a White House concert at the invitation of President Bill Clinton and she’s teamed up with artists such as Joan Baez, Booker T. Jones, Flaco Jimenez, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson and Dwight Yoakam.

Pía Zapata is a musician from Valparaíso, Chile. She mixes ambient and experimental sounds with hints of rock, folk and pop, all inspired by themes both deep and quotidian, with a poetic touch filled with colors and images.

Terry J. Allen is a photographer and investigative reporter and editor who has covered local and international politics and health and science issues. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Boston Globe, Times Argus, Harper’s, nation.com, salon.com and New Scientist.

Approximately 1,500 immigrant dairy workers provide labor for the farms behind Ben & Jerry’s, Cabot Cheese and other famous Vermont dairy brands. Workers typically labor 60-80 hours per week and are systemically excluded from many worker and housing rights protections.

With a formula that guarantees farmers a premium price for their milk, the Milk with Dignity Program improves workers’ labor and housing conditions and ensures compliance with a farmworker-authored code of conduct. The program launched five years ago when dairy workers signed an agreement with Ben and Jerry’s to implement the program in the company’s dairy supply chain.

The program now covers hundreds of workers on dozens of farms in Vermont and New York, and Migrant Justice is working to expand the program to additional supply chains.

Information at highlandartsvt.com.