Hispanic Heritage Month: Edgar Aquino Huerta Strives to Tell Stories of Farmworkers
Photo courtesy of Edgar Aquino Huerta
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
BRIDGETON – In a political climate that has put anyone of Latino heritage under a microscope, particularly the vulnerable farmworker population, Edgar Aquino Huerta has boldly gone about the work of documenting their experiences and supporting them.
Aquino Huerta is an organizer with CATA-The Farmworkers Support Committee along with being an award-winning filmmaker where he highlights the work of local field workers and other migrants.
His work was recently highlighted as a Front Runner New Jersey.com 30 Under 40 Top Latino Leaders of South Jersey Sponsored by Franklin Bank and Dr. Patricia Campos Medina. As a DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] program, he said he takes his role as a role model for others in his position seriously.
“I know what it’s like to grow up without seeing people who look like you in leadership, creative industries, or public advocacy,” Aquino Huerta told Front Runner New Jersey. “Whether through organizing or filmmaking, I want to show young Latinos, especially those from farmworker and mixed status families, that their stories matter and that they have the power to tell them.
“Representation isn’t just symbolic; it’s a reminder that they can lead, create, and be part of the change they want to see.”
Aquino Huerta was born in San Nicolas Tolentino, a small town in Puebla, Mexico. He came to the United States at the age of 2 with his mother to escape the corruption, mistreatment and humiliation the family faced there.
His mother left the United States for Mexico at 13 when she became ill and could not afford treatment in the U.S. and started packing houses during the summers. While supporting his family, he attended local community college and Rowan University to pursue a degree in film.
It was his real-life experiences in the field and living with his family that led him to becoming an organizer.
“Growing up in a South Jersey farmworker family, my mom and extended relatives working long hours in greenhouses, nurseries and fields, shaped everything about how I see the world,” Aquino Huerta said.
“I started working the fields myself during my summers of high school and then full time at a greenhouse after high school, so I know the long days, the physical exhaustion, and the quiet sacrifices that come with that life.
“Now, as an organizer with CATA–The Farmworkers Support Committee, I carry those lived experiences into my work. I understand the fears, the resilience, and the pride in our community, and I see my role as both a responsibility and a privilege to serve the very people who raised me,” he added.
Aquino Huerta was a first-place winner at the U.S.-Mexico Kaleidoscope: Binational Short Film Contest and Festival put on by the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C.
“Filmmaking is just as much a part of my advocacy as organizing,” Aquino Huerta said. “It gives me the chance to tell culturally rich, nuanced stories about Mexican and farmworker life stories that go beyond immigration headlines and stereotypes.
“My work is about showing complexity, humor, and humanity. Through film, I can turn individual experiences into collective memory, creating stories that help communities feel seen and help others understand us in ways statistics never could.”
Here are some of the other answers Aquino Huerta gave Front Runner New Jersey for our Front Runner La Prensa column.
FRNJ: When did you think you would want to take on this kind of work?
Edgar Aquino Huerta: My turning point came during spring break in sixth grade when I went to work with my mom at the greenhouse where she worked. I thought bullying only happened between kids, until I saw her boss, who was also Mexican, belittle the workers. They feared her, not because of her directly, but because defending themselves could mean losing their jobs. I remember hiding behind a pallet of trays, watching my mom get yelled at for something she didn’t do. We made eye contact, and she just smiled at me, but inside I felt a different kind of anger, one that made me want to make the villains of the workplace afraid of me instead. That moment planted the seed for everything I do now.
FRNJ: Can you talk about how other young Latinos like yourself have contributed to South Jersey and the country?
Edgar Aquino Huerta: I identify as a DREAMer and stand in solidarity with those who didn’t qualify for DACA but continue to fight for justice every day. In South Jersey, I’ve seen young Latinos lead in powerful ways, getting involved with local nonprofits, starting their own organizations, and showing up for workshops to stay informed for the sake of undocumented parents, siblings, spouses, or friends. Across the country, our generation follows a long legacy of youth-led movements, from the 1968 East L.A. Walkouts to the 2006 student protests against anti-immigrant laws, and even recent high school walkouts in support of immigrant rights. DACA itself was only possible because DREAMers, many of them young Latinos; organized, marched, and added pressure to the Obama administration.
FRNJ: Anything else you’d like to add?
Edgar Aquino Huerta: Right now, I’m working on launching a mobile cinema; a project that brings films directly into farmworker communities and underserved neighborhoods. The goal is to create spaces where people can come together, watch stories that reflect their lives, and feel the power of seeing themselves on screen. It’s the next step in my journey to bridge organizing, art, and community building.
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