From Presbyterian to Jewish, Methodist to Catholic, congregations from across Florida and around the country are collecting signatures on a new letter calling on Gov. Crist to “take a leadership role in ensuring that Florida’s farmworkers can live and work freely and with dignity.”

If you’d like to sign, or to help circulate the letter in your community, you can visit the Florida Council of Churches website today to see the letter and how you can get involved!

You can also find the letter at the Interfaith Action website.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Our religious traditions share a commitment to the dignity and freedom of every human person, and we believe you do as well. The Ten Commandments teach us that faithfulness to God involves fairness to all peoples in our society, and that we are to be as concerned for the wellbeing of our neighbors as we are for our own selves and property. The continued existence of slavery in our day attacks the very soul of our society, calling every one of us to awareness and action.”

The letter goes on to call on Gov. Crist to work with the CIW to eradicate slavery and abuses in Florida’s fields and to call on the Florida tomato industry to participate in the CIW’s agreements with fast-food and supermarket companies.