A co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers is expected to attend President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. tonight.

Laura Germino, 54, of LaBelle, was invited by Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, according to a news release from the lawmaker's office.

The rise of the #MeToo movement, a grass-roots social media campaign to call out sexual harassment and violence, influenced Frankel's decision to bring Germino to Trump's speech. 

"I decided to look for someone who could bring a very positive message of hope on how to stop sexual harassment at the workplace," Frankel said in a video recorded live on her Facebook page Monday. 

In 1993, Germino helped establish the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, known as the CIW, a farmworker human rights organization based in Immokalee. 

She also worked to create the Fair Food Program, which is credited with fighting against the sexual harassment of farmworkers in the fields. The program aims to increase the wages of tomato pickers.

Tomato growers who participate in the Fair Food Program agree to a code of conduct that promises farmworkers will be in an environment free of sexual harassment and assault. 

An independent organization runs a 24/7 hotline, audits farms and investigates harassment claims.

“This came from an unlikely workplace, where women and men lack opportunities and yet this program of workers, growers and corporate brands are partners in stopping abuse before it even happens,” Germino said in the video on Frankel’s Facebook page.

Ninety percent of Florida’s tomato growers are part of the Fair Food Program and the program now operates in seven different states, according to the news release.

Germino directs the Coalition of Immokalee Workers Anti-Slavery program, which has uncovered and assisted in prosecuting farmworker slavery and human trafficking operations, according to the CIW’s website.

In 2010, Germino received the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Hero Award from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her work to combat human trafficking.

In 2015, the CIW received the Presidential Medal for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking.

Frankel and Germino committed to wearing black to Trump's State of the Union speech, according to the video on her official Facebook page.

"Myself and many other members of Congress will be wearing black to send a message of solidarity to the #MeToo movement and to join those who say time is up for sexual harassment in the workplace or any place," Frankel said. "Congress wants to be part of the solution."

State of the Union 

When: 9 p.m. today

Where: U.S. Capitol building

On TV: Live coverage expected on CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX; Check your local listings

Online: c-span.org