To the Editor- An issue of the magazine, “Sonoma” recently appeared in my mailbox. I find it reprehensible that next to the adds for multi-million dollar homes, expensive wines, vacations, jewelry and designer clothing, there are photos of grape pickers.Catherine Barnett, the editor of Sonoma Magazine who is also the Executive Editor of this newspaper, wrote, “Coming home from a late-night dinner it is not unusual to see bright lights illuminating a path of endless darkness.” She neglects to mention that there are actual people near those lights picking grapes. Then she goes on to say, “The shapes are hard to discern.
The faces, hidden by caps and hoodies are obscured by more than shadows.” These faces are of people who have been out since 3 a.m. and work until noon or later doing back-breaking work and don’t receive a living wage. These photos were taken when they had stopped work. No wonder they look skeptical and wary. Some of these photos are of men in their fifties, sixties and one man is 73. These are not invisible people. They deserve sensitivity, respect and understanding, not the pejorative way in which Ms. Barnett writes about them
Sincerely,
Pamela Singer
Occidental, CA 95465