Nashville Fair Food takes Publix protests to the next level with the “Amazing Race for Farmworker Justice” this Sunday in Middle Tennessee!

[hupso title=”.@NashFairFood takes @Publix protests to next level with Amazing Race for Farmworker Justice!” url=”https://ciw-online.org/blog/2015/04/nashville-race/”]

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The Nashville Fair Food delegation gathers for a picture during last month’s big Parade and Concert for Fair Food in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Fresh off organizing a spirited delegation of nearly 100 to represent the Volunteer State at last month’s spectacular Parade and Concert for Fair Food — and frustrated by nearly five years of stubborn silence from Publix in response to their protests — the incredible Nashville Fair Food crew has come up with a genius idea to get around stonewalling executives and talk directly to local Publix managers about the Fair Food Program!  It’s called the “Amazing Race for Farmworker Justice” and it’s set to take place this coming Sunday at 30 — yes, 30 — Publix stores in the Middle Tennessee area.

We’ll let them describe their plan in their own terms:

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On Sunday afternoon, come join the “Amazing Race for Farmworker Justice”, a family-friendly competition in which participants will visit every Publix in Middle Tennessee to speak with store managers about the urgent need for Publix to join the Fair Food Program.

Over the last 5 years, we have held dozens of demonstrations outside of Publix supermarkets and hosted dozens of formal delegations of university students, religious leaders, and local community organizations to talk with Publix store managers about the importance of joining the Fair Food Program. At many of those delegations, though, we announced the demonstration in advance, and Publix would fly in a representative from corporate headquarters to talk with us instead of letting us talk with the managers that live in our neighborhoods.  So this time, we’re going to talk with the managers of all 30 Middle Tennessee Publixes at the same time, in one day, to make sure that our local managers know that fair treatment of farmworkers is important to us here in Tennessee!

After fanning out to speak with store managers across Middle Tennessee, we’ll gather at the Belle Meade Publix for a big final delegation and picket at 6:00pm… read more

They even added a little twist to the action as a challenge for their more creative members.  From the Nashville Fair Food Facebook page:

Join us on Sunday, April 12 for a Publix Scavenger Hunt Adventure! We’ll divide up into teams of 3 or 4 and visit as many of the surrounding Publix stores as possible – asking them to join twelve other leading food corporations already within the Fair Food Program – including its competitors Walmart, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s – and sign a Fair Food Agreement with the farmworkers who pick the tomatoes from which Publix profits. https://ciw-online.org/publix/

There are 30 Publix stores in Middle Tennessee, and with your help we will be able to talk to a manager at every single one in just one afternoon!

There will be a point system (most creative photo, most stores visited, etc.)! AND there will be PRIZES!

And to show our appreciation here in Immokalee for the Nashville crew’s inspiring creativity, we will be sending them a special surprise from the CIW for the overall winner of the Publix Scavenger Hunt!

So, kudos to Nashville Fair Food for the great new idea, and heads up to the team of Publix executives that crisscrosses the southeast in pursuit of Publix protests — your all’s job just got a whole lot tougher!