Designed for Disparity: The Structural Origins of Migrant Farmworker Health Inequities in Maryland, 1900‒1950.

The article focuses on the historical construction and institutionalization of the migrant farm labor system on Maryland's Eastern Shore from 1900 to 1950, highlighting how racial capitalism deliberately produced conditions of racial stratification, economic precarity, and social isolation as essential features of agricultural labor. It identifies four transformative periods—postemancipation adjustment, rise of seasonal commodity agriculture, response to mass displacement, and wartime labor management—demonstrating how these shaped worker vulnerability and health disparities. The study argues that contemporary public health frameworks often misinterpret these conditions as independent social determinants rather than as deliberately engineered mechanisms of labor control and exploitation. Understanding this history is crucial for addressing persistent health inequities among farmworkers, especially in light of renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic.