Leading Question

>>Ask a longtime Immokalee resident and you might hear them utter these three words: Harvest of Shame. The 1960 documentary, reported by famed CBS television journalist Edward R. Murrow, exposed the appalling working and living conditions suffered by migrant farm workers who traveled the country to labor in the fields.

Although Immokalee was only briefly mentioned as a place where these conditions existed, the community has since been associated with the film and its message, much to the consternation of locals. "We get a bad rap," says Fred Thomas Jr., civic leader and activist and former director of Collier County's housing authority.

Thomas describes Immokalee as a "quaint Florida community," with strong character and a fine quality of life. Certainly there is a migrant workforce, which he calls "strong." But there are many other attributes, such as the local airport, which is expected to become a commercial hub. And he adds that the tight social fabric has fostered accolades, such as the high school's perennial strong showings in Better Education Through Achievement, a national academic honors club.

Still, the CBS piece and several follow-up stories have continued to cast a pall on Immokalee. "It's just unfair," Thomas says.

Lately, press coverage appears to have turned in a different direction. For example, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has made headlines for successfully taking on fast-food giant Taco Bell over labor issues and has now turned its sights on McDonald's.

Yet it's the impending arrival of new neighbors Ave Maria University and its town that excites Thomas. The Catholic school, founded by Domino's Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, also is national news.

Immokalee's association with Ave Maria "will shine a light on the great community we really are," Thomas says. "I have the means to live in Naples, but I chose to live here. I love Immokalee."