James
F Schmidt
Social equality is the unrealized dream of America. During the
turbulence of the 60’s a small group of idealists saw America’s land of
plenty as only available for a small slice of the population. They
sought for inclusion, so all could realize the dream. James
Schmidt was instrumental in the march for social justice. Many
have been included in the opportunities America has to offer. One
group, however, has fallen by the way. Migrant farm workers have
remained in the shadows, isolated because of their culture and language,
underserved through traditional service avenues and often shunned
because of their immigration status. For 25 years, Jim has been
the director of Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc. (FLSNY).
He has lead FLSNY from a seedling, nurturing its staff, creating and
implementing new service delivery systems to reach the most isolated
worker. Jim has made the promise of America a reality for
thousands of migrant farmworkers in New York State.
Jim managed FLSNY through empowerment. Just as he focused FLSNY’s
services to empower farmworkers, he uses the same framework to get the
most from the staff, to encourage and mentor the staff, whose clients
are the victims of racism, sexism, and who live in dangerous and
unsanitary conditions. Staff have special needs because they face
this form of injustice on a daily basis. Jim has built an
organization which encourages individual creativity, develops new
leaders and an organization in which workers have a real sense of
ownership of the process of management. Jim is the coordinator,
the teacher and the mentor, utilizing his experiences and deep-seated
personal beliefs in justice and equality to guide future idealists.
Jim has had many “firsts”. He was the first Executive Director of
Farmworker Legal Services of New York and Founder of Farmworker Womens’
Institute (1981-2006). He was a founding member of Working
Together and the Justice for Farmworkers Campaign, and he was
instrumental in the development of FLSNY’s Union and was the author of
the workers’ first contract. Jim was the first director of the
National Center for Appropriate Technology, Butte Montana. (1974 to
1978). As Director of Cayuga County Action Program he formed
Homesite Corporation, one of the first low income housing projects in
the United States. (1968-1974) He was also Founder of The Staff Union,
The Auburn Black Development Corporation and The Cayuga County Family
Planning Center. He was a Migrant Field Organizer with BEAM, Basic
Education for Adult Migrants, the first federally fund Migrant Program
in New York State.
Jim is also an avid student and teacher as an Instructor and student at
Cornell University.(1973-1974) and a History teacher in the Syracuse
Public School System. (1963-1968) Jim has a Masters of Arts degree
in History, with graduate and post graduate studies at Syracuse and
Cornell Universities and a Fellowship to University of Kansas.
