Dr. John L. Ghertner, MD, was raised in the extremist south during the violent era of racial and religious warfare. He grew up watching his congregation rub swastikas off the Temple in Nashville, while his rabbi marched throughout the beginnings of the protest movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr.

For the past 10 or so years, Lory has been working within the migrant community, helping his wife film her acclaimed documentary, “After I Pick the Fruit.” He spent that time understanding the life of those living in the shadows, hidden from our society.

As a result of the insight he found in migrant camps, trailer parks and shacks hidden deep in the orchards, he started Migrant Support Services of Wayne County to coordinate volunteer efforts to support the migrant community, originally in Wayne County but now throughout the state. Later, he worked with many others in the Rochester area to start the Greater Rochester Coalition for Immigration Justice, a coalition of advocacy groups, agencies and religious organizations working to coordinate efforts to support legislative change related to immigration reform.