One of Antonia Rios’ first acts of resistance two decades ago was leaving behind a troubled childhood in Oaxaca, Mexico, and crossing into the United States.
Here she chased a new life and work, starting first in California, then in South Carolina, before settling in the close-knit agricultural town of Immokalee.
It was here that she labored in the tomato fields. She fell in love. She married. And raised two children, teaching them to stand up for their rights as women and to call out injustices that all-too-often face immigrants.
It was a here, on the afternoon of Sept. 18, that Rios died in a freak accident on land that had once been tomato fields but now was an upscale, planned-community.
Though still under investigation, the Florida Highway Patrol said Rios died after a motorist driving in the Ava Maria community jumped a curb and barreled through bushes before hitting Rios.
Now a landscaper, Rios was cutting grass on a riding lawnmower. Her death was quick and the scope felt immediately. She was 49.
“Oh my God, that was a great lady. Oh my God I cannot believe it,” cried neighbor Rose Hernandez, as she was just learning of the death. “It is a tragedy. … It hurts me because she was a worker, a good mama good wife, a good friend. Oh my God. She did not deserve to go like this.”
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Photos of Antonia were on display at the home. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Eileen Kelley/WGCU
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A group of family and friends gathered to pray the rosary at the home of Antonia Rios. A small alter was built, honoring Antonia Rios. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Eileen Kelley/WGCU
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Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz, Antonia’s husband, holds a page from a scrapbook. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Eileen Kelley/WGCU
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A young child waits with many of the other women who attended the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Carmen Ruiz, receives a hug. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Sister’s Vanessa(right) and Daniela Leon Rios(left) hold hands with their mother’s long time friend, Carmen Ruiz,(center) as the casket is carried out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
Over 150 people attended the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be placed in the family’s back yard, a place that was Antonia’s sanctuary and garden. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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The casket was carried out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
The casket was carried out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz sits with his daughters, Vanessa and Daniela, Carmen Ruiz, long time friend, and Rio's cousin Maricela Hernandez Rios during the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
A group of family and friends gathered to pray the rosary at the home of Antonia Rios. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Eileen Kelley/WGCU
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Vanessa Leon Cruz hugs a friend after the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz sits with his daughters, Vanessa and Daniela, Carmen Ruiz, long time friend, and Rio's cousin Maricela Hernandez Rios during the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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The priest blessed the casket with incense. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be placed in the family’s back yard, a place that was Antonia’s sanctuary and garden. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Over 150 people attended the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Sister’s Vanessa(right) and Daniela Leon Rios(left) hold hands with their mother’s long time friend, Carmen Ruiz,(center) as the casket is carried out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz sits with his daughters, Vanessa and Daniela, Carmen Ruiz, long time friend, and her cousin Maricela Hernandez Rios during the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
Over 150 people attended the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Antonia’s husband, Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz (left), helped carry his wife’s casket into and out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz sits with his daughters, Vanessa and Daniela, Carmen Ruiz, long time friend, and her cousin Maricela Hernandez Rios during the funeral. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Vanessa(left), her sister Daniela Leon Rios(center), and their mom’s long time friend Carmen Ruiz, prepare to walk in with their mom’s casket. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Vanessa(right), her sister Daniela Leon Rios (left), and their mom’s long time friend Carmen Ruiz(center), prepare to walk in with their mom’s casket. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Antonia’s husband, Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz (center), helped carry his wife’s casket into and out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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Antonia’s husband, Alfredo “Don Peewee” Leon Cruz (center), helped carry his wife’s casket into and out of the church. The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCURiosImmokaleeFuneral0912623AM
The funeral for Antonia Rios, long time farmworker advocate in Immokalee, mother and wife, was held Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. A driver on Ave Maria Boulevard lost control of their car, jumped the curb, drove through brush, then hitting a sign, a tree and the lawn mower Hernandez was on for her landscaping job, killing Rios instantly, According to Florida Highway Patrol.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Perhaps she was making up for the years in Mexico, or perhaps it was because she was now raising two daughters, but for the last six or so years, Rios was becoming a face for the women and the immigrant worker’s movement in Collier County.
“Antonia was a powerful woman. She was a strong woman. Always believe in the dignity and the justice for workers,” said Silvia Perez, Rios’s good friend from the grass-roots, human rights group the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
Rios took her daughters along to demonstrations in Florida and New York. She fasted. She frequently gave interviews to help people better understand the plight of immigrant workers in the United States.
“She left a seed planted,” Perez said. “Many, many seeds planted that are growing. And she was proud to see all those seeds growing and all the changes for workers and conditions changing and bettering.”
Consider Rio’s daughters Vanessa and Daniella some of the seeds left behind.
“My mom, you know, she would always bring us along with the protests, and we kind of grew up with the coalition,” said Daniella Rios.
The 22-year-old is studying agriculture at college in Georgia. Her mother was her sole provider of tuition. She’d like to graduate and come home to continue to expose injustices in the immigrant community.
Friends and Family say goodbye to a strong woman
“She was just so she's so intelligent. She just knew everything. She was just, she was badass," the older Rios daughter said. "Honestly, she was she really was. She didn't take any anything from anybody. She would stand up for herself.”
Rios’s youngest daughter Vanessa Rios, is already a bit of an activist.
“Her activism, like really inspired me,” she said.
I first met 16-year-old Vanessa in March. She was among several hundred workers and human rights advocates who took part in a 50-mile march. The demonstration began in the agricultural town of Pahokee, where workers had been held behind barbed wire at night and at gunpoint in the fields by day.
“She was such an important part of this community. Everyone loved her. They cherished her. She was she was more than just my mom. She was my best friend. She was someone they would tell everything to she wasn't. She will encourage me to be to be who I was,” Vanessa said.
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