wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Faith-based symposium will link MLKs dream with

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8590 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

04553
December 17, 2004

Faith-based symposium will link MLKs 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 Coalitions 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 its happening on the weekend that leads up to the
celebration of Dr. Kings birthday were 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 were to do justice to the
fullness of Dr. Kings legacy.

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

	Its an educational event and its designed specifically for the
faith community, Damico said. Were going to spend time looking at the
Bible. Were 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 theyre 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 groups 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 Kings commitment
to nonviolent change.

	Theres going to be theological and biblical reflection going on,
Damico said. I think thats critical because this boycott speaks very deeply
to Gods 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 Kings
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.

	Its 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 theyve 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.

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