Since 1999, Pax Christi USA has been a supporter of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), their struggle on behalf of justice for farmworkers, and their campaign to provide “fair food” for all of us. Beginning today, farmworkers and their allies are fasting outside the headquarters of grocery giant Publix Supermarkets in Lakeland, Florida. This “Fast for Fair Food” is aimed to encourage Publix to support the groundbreaking new partnership between Florida’s tomato growers and farmworkers and demand that Publix support fundamental human rights for farmworkers.
Fifty farmworkers and their allies — faith leaders, students, and community leaders from across Florida and across the country — will come together today in a six-day fast, their sacrifice undertaken in the hope of raising awareness of Publix’s role in blocking progress in the fields and expanding the rights of the farmworkers who harvest the nation’s food.