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As a 14-year-old working among the strawberry fields of Oregon, Ramona Landeros received an early introduction to advocacy.
A group of local students posing as farmworkers were trying to help field workers advocate for better living conditions and they enlisted Landeros’s help.
“It’s always been in my blood since I was very young,” said Landeros. “It came out of necessity, but also somebody sparking that interest and saying, ‘You can make a change, you can help.’ I think that really instilled that belief in myself that I can do something.”
Landeros is the founder of the Benito Juarez Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advocacy and empowerment of immigrants and farmworkers.
“I was a former farmworker for many, many years and I understand the challenges that farmworkers face,” said Landeros. “Everything from discrimination, labor exploitation, wage theft, horrible working conditions, poor housing. It’s really important that we protect our farmworkers because they are the most vulnerable, but yet the most vital in this country.”
Changemaker Ramona Landeros, farmworker advocate and CEO of the Benito Juarez Association, poses for a portrait on Friday, July 10, 2026 in Sacramento. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Landeros’ organization has been able to set up a volunteer-run food bank that brings food to farmworkers who are unable to drive due to their immigration status. Landeros said the organization feeds up to 75 families every week.
The foundation has also worked to tackle unpaid wages, transportation and mental health support.
For Landeros, the work she does centers on the livelihood of what she said is one of America’s most vulnerable populations. Though she has devoted her life to advocating for equity, she tries to always go the extra mile.
“The need is so much greater than we know, and until your boots on the ground, you don’t really know what’s happening in your community,” said Landeros. “We meet the community where they’re at.”
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Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado is a service journalism reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked at the Star Democrat in Annapolis, Maryland. Veronica graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in journalism.