LETTER FROM FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER

To Lucas Benitez, Julia Gabriel, and Romeo Ramirez

I commend the decision of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights to honor you as its human rights laureates for 2003. Along with your colleagues in the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, you have shown great moral clarity and bravery as you work to improve sub-standard working and living conditions for farm workers. Through this award and the growing support of others, I hope that you will continue your efforts with success.

President Bush has highlighted the horrible practice of human trafficking throughout the world, calling it a “challenge to our conscience.” Your actions and this award raise awareness of such human rights abuses, also existing within the United States. The State Department estimates that 18,000-20,000 people are sold into the United States every year. Many are sent to illegal agricultural work camps, far away from public view, where their labor feeds our families.

Your efforts have led to successful local slavery prosecutions, but the problem is not simply one of a few bad actors. An industry-wide system and ethos rewards the lowest possible costs, with massive cooperative purchasing mechanisms driving wages below anything that could be considered minimum. In the absence of adequate protections, grave human righs abuses become possible.

It is time for corporations to acknowledge their opportunity and responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their supply chains are free from substandard pay or conditions. Your efforts have done much to highlight these farm workers’ situation and bring to our attention the systems that allow them to continue.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Carter

 

Mr. Lucas Benitez, Ms. Julia Gabriel, and Mr. Romeo Ramirez
Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Immokalee, Florida