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December 17, 2004

Faith-based symposium will link MLK’s dream with farmworkers’ hopes

January event in Florida to feature biblical reflection on poverty, justice and human rights

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE — In the tradition of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) — best know, for its national Taco Bell Boycott — will co-sponsor a “faith-based” symposium next month.

        The two-day event, which starts Jan. 15 in Immokalee, will chronicle the Coalition’s human rights and economic justice efforts in the fields of Florida. 

      The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is among numerous church groups, ecumenical organizations and other backers of the symposium.

      “Because it’s happening on the weekend that leads up to the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday we’re going to look at the legacy of his work both with labor rights and human rights for our work today,” said the Rev. Noelle Damico, the PC(USA)’s boycott coordinator who is participating in the symposium. “This is really critical if we’re to do justice to the fullness of Dr. King’s legacy.”

      With the title “Human Rights and the Struggle for Fair Food: Making Dr. King’s Dream Our Reality,” the symposium will feature workshops about such topics as socially responsible purchasing, consumption and investing, and the Coalition’s efforts at eliminating modern-day slavery in the agricultural industry.

      “It’s an educational event and it’s designed specifically for the faith community,” Damico said. “We’re going to spend time looking at the Bible. We’re going to spend time thinking about how we communicate about the struggle for fair food in our congregations.”

      In addition to providing an educational forum, the symposium will provide an opportunity for participants to view the harsh conditions in which farmworkers live and work and to meet them personally.

      “The farmworkers are so isolated in Immokalee, and for religious leaders from across the country and locally to come here and to show the farmworkers that they’re standing together with them is an act of humanity in and of itself,” said Julia Perkins, a CIW staff member.

      Founded in 1993, the CIW is a community-based organization whose members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrant farmworkers employed in low-wage jobs. They are fighting for higher wages and improved conditions in the fields where they work. The Coalition is also a nationally recognized leader in the fight against modern-day slavery.

      The group’s Taco Bell Boycott calls on the fast-food giant and parent Yum! Brands Inc. to take responsibility for conditions in the fields where their tomatoes are grown.

      The PC(USA)’s 214th General Assembly in 2002 endorsed the national boycott of Taco Bell and called for good-faith dialogue between Taco Bell, its tomato suppliers, and representatives of the Coalition, who are picking tomatoes for the same rate as workers more than 20 years ago.

      Meanwhile, symposium-goers will examine how the three-year-old boycott, which seeks to improve farmworker wages and working conditions, is an expression of the biblical call for a just society and King’s commitment to nonviolent change.

      “There’s going to be theological and biblical reflection going on,” Damico said. “I think that’s critical because this boycott speaks very deeply to God’s desire for well-being for all — to what makes for good working conditions and fair wages, and to the way that we are connected with our neighbors through our work and through our purchasing.”

      There will be workshops about student and youth involvement in social justice campaigns, sessions on the role played by faith groups in the Taco Bell Boycott, and a history of the CIW. The symposium will also include a worship service and celebration with the Immokalee community honoring King’s life and legacy.

        Participants will experience firsthand the plight of migrant workers by starting the day with CIW members at 4:30 a.m. as they look for work in the fields of Immokalee. They will also visit the often deplorable living conditions they must come home to afterward.

      Other religious bodies joining the PC(USA) in co-sponsoring the symposium include the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Venice and Miami, and the National Council of Churches.

      “It’s a time for all of the different religious communities that have been a part of the farmworkers’ struggle to come together and to share the ways they’ve been supportive,” Perkins said. “And to look at how to continue that into the future and to really build those relationships.”

      For registration information contact Amy Ullo of Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida at 239-657-8311 or by email: amy@interfaithact.org. For additional information about the symposium or the PC(USA)’s co-sponsorship, visit www.pcusa.org/boycott or contact Damico by phone at 631-751-7076 or by email:  boycott@pcusa.org.