By Crystal Pimentel Navarro
Neida Sandoval Lopez, a Richgrove native and UCLA graduate, credits her time at the university for shaping her commitment to social justice. Studying Sociology and education, labor, and workplace studies, she gained a deeper understanding of the systemic challenges facing marginalized communities.
“When I first arrived at UCLA, I wasn’t aware, until after, that the school I was attending was a research-based institution. So when it came to theoretical issues, they would research communities: health issues, demographics, and socio-economic backgrounds. I feel that was the pivotal moment for my social justice awareness to become intact,” Lopez explained.
In her second year at UCLA, Lopez connected with Jose Orellanas and Anai Paniagua, co-founders of Loud4Tmrw, a Delano-based nonprofit focused on educating youth about voting rights and voter suppression. She frequently attended events, workshops, and conferences with them, engaging with political, civic, and community organizations.
Lopez recalled her first transformative experience at a Brown Issues event, where young adults shared poetry, speeches, and creative works with confidence and passion. Inspired by the encouragement they received, she began stepping out of her shell to share her own work.
Her artistic interests led her to Venice Arts, where she honed her skills in digital storytelling and production. This experience fueled her vision to bring her poem, “The Central Valley,” to life on screen.
When Loud4Tmrw hired her to direct a documentary showcasing their community mental health initiatives, Lopez had the opportunity to apply her storytelling skills on a larger scale. The project’s success motivated her to map out plans for her own short documentary, further solidifying her creative and social justice ambitions.
At just 19, Lopez wrote her poem “The Central Valley” as a tribute to her father, whose tireless labor has sustained the life they have built together.
This summer, she brought her words to life through a short documentary inspired by the poem, offering a raw and honest portrayal of the Central Valley. Rather than romanticizing the region, Lopez delved into the challenges faced by its residents: communities polluted by chemicals, plagued by diseases like Valley Fever, and lacking funding for education and recreational activities. Her documentary also sheds light on the systemic degradation farmworking communities have endured for generations.
We feel the weight of this reality from the opening shot: the camera zooms in on her father’s hands—rough, cracked, and calloused after more than two decades in the fields. Lopez’s work serves as a powerful reminder of the dedication, resilience, humility, and unyielding work ethic that define the heart of the Central Valley.
“Although you say there’s nothing here, we have hella shit to do,” Lopez said, echoing a sentiment many of us have heard about the Central Valley. She challenges this perspective, urging us to create opportunities that lead to positive outcomes for farmworkers and the youth in our communities.
Her documentary’s underlying message is clear: we, as residents of the Central Valley, should be proud of where we come from. We must break cycles, adopt new mindsets, dismantle the obstacles placed before us, and aspire for more. Let it serve as a call to action and a celebration of the strength and potential within this often-overlooked region.
As a daughter of a single mother who has worked as a farmworker for longer than I’ve been alive, watching this short documentary brought me to tears. Lopez’s words had a way of captivating viewers with her passion, vulnerability, and authenticity, delivering a message that resonates deeply with so many of us.
One particularly moving scene occurs just one minute and forty seconds in: Lopez records her father preparing for work at the crack of dawn—a routine I often witnessed my own mother perform. It’s a powerful moment, capturing the quiet sacrifices of farmworkers everywhere.
Lopez shared a message her father often told her: “Kids here are stuck. They are convinced picking up a tool and working in the fields is easier, but baby, please don’t feel fooled. It might be easier money, but that is not why we came to this country,” urging her to prioritize education over labor.
This echoed the advice my mother gave my siblings and me countless times: “Estudia, échale ganas para que no andes como yo, para que vivan una vida mejor que yo, para que tengan una vida estable.” Everything she encouraged us to do, I did on behalf of both of us—knowing how much she sacrificed to give us the life we have today.
I didn’t fully grasp the grueling demands of physical labor until my first year working alongside her in the fields. At first, I was excited, unaware of the toll such work takes on the body. But the harsh reality soon became clear. Working in the fields gave me a deeper appreciation for my mother’s endurance and for the daily sacrifices farmworkers make to support their families and sustain our nation.
In the documentary, Lopez follows a young man, his face covered with bandanas, who says: “We spend hours, weeks, months, surviving under the scorching sun, and these chemicals we breathe are not healthy for our lungs, but this work is never done.”
His words reflect a grim reality that isn’t surprising. Kern County consistently ranks highest in toxic chemical applications throughout California, according to a 2022 UC Merced study. The spraying of pesticides and other toxins are not the only things farm workers must be cautious of, it’s the aftermath of it and how their bodies don’t move the same after many years as farm workers.
Lopez told me that her mother and father both have been injured working in the fields, “Watching my dad’s body as he gets older I can see how much this type of work has affected his hands to the point where they don’t move the same, his elbows don’t extend a certain way, his joints are hurting, his fingers are not the same… he has bad problems, all these things he endures, just to make money.”
She continued by stating: “ I know for a fact that he’s not the only one, my friend’s parents and my neighbors are farm workers so they have similar experiences, I wanted to demonstrate that is what happens in the Central Valley.”
Through The Central Valley, Lopez shines a light on the challenges these communities face—systemic neglect, lack of resources, and increasing violence. Yet, her documentary also delivers a powerful message: to uplift our community, reclaim the Central Valley, and create a domino effect of change for our generation and those to come.
Despite its agricultural wealth, the Central Valley remains one of the regions most affected by poverty and low educational attainment. This is a call to action: aspire to be the change we so desperately need. Advocate for those who have been forced into the shadows—be their voice.
Lopez’s other poem can be found in “For the Love of Nature: Eco Writing the World” by Jeff Share published in 2024. Share was one of Lopez’s professors during her time at UCLA where he taught in the School of Education and Information Studies. Lopez’s poem touches on her experiences with environmental justice. She can also be found on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@neidawest.