In the clamor of the ongoing feud between Rush Limbaugh and the White House (not to mention the feud between Rush Limbaugh and his own party), and the uproar surrounding Gov. Sebelius’s nomination as HHS secretary, and all the other various political conflicts that dominate our attention, it is easy to forget the less-well-publicized battles being waged on the sidelines of American society—battles like the one being waged in Florida right now by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). They’re the folks, if you remember, who a few years ago forced Taco Bell and McDonald’s to agree to improved pay and working conditions for the laborers in Florida who pick their tomatoes.
Sadly the struggle for justice in Florida’s agricultural sector is far from over. It is still the case that a great number of the workers who labor in Florida’s fields, particularly in the Immokalee region, suffer from horrendous working conditions that often constitute outright slavery. Since 1997 more than a thousand people have been freed from involuntary servitude in Florida—that is to say, freed from egregiously abusive work environments in which they were prevented from escape by means of threatened and actual violence. They were the lucky ones. Slavery in Florida is not only alive but thriving. As Chief Assistant US Attorney Douglas Molloy put it, the Immokalee region in Florida is “ground zero for modern slavery.” You can read all about it (and sign a petition) at CIW’s website, or in Barry Estabrook’s very recent and very incisive articles in Gourmet Magazine.
The highly troubling cause of CIW’s current campaign is Florida Governor Charlie Crist’s inexplicable refusal to address the situation or discuss the facts with CIW, despite the fact that a broad and reputable coalition has called on him to do so. One only hopes that the CIW’s will succeed in pushing the state government out of its inaction. You can help by signing the organization’s petition here. It is important that we take notice. The vast majority of the tomatoes Americans eat in winter are picked by Florida laborers who quite likely are currently suffering under the systemic injustices in this industry. The Hebrew Scriptures tell us that there is a season for everything under heaven, a time to plant, and a time to uproot. Winter is not tomato season, and we need to be aware of the source of our out-of-season produce. In any case, it strikes me that, amidst the economic crises and continued political bickering which so easily capture our attention, it is vital that socially concerned Christians not forget these less-publicized struggles for justice. There are matters other than Rush’s latest pronouncement that deserve the attention of our minds and consciences.
