This summer, farmworkers from Immokalee and SFA organizers will embark on five regional “Boot the Braids” Truth Tours to expose the dangerous, inhumane conditions workers face outside the protections of the Fair Food Program and Wendy’s absurd social responsibility shell game…
Mark your calendars, because Fair Food is coming to a town near you this summer!
This past weekend, members of the 2019 Steering Committee — the national leadership body of the Student/Farmworker Alliance — made the trek from their respective corners of the country to Philadelphia for a weekend full of strategizing, skill-building and planning for major upcoming events in the Wendy’s Boycott. Chief among them: a month-long series of five regional truth tours to eight “Boot the Braids” schools and surrounding communities during the months of June and July.
Building on the momentous campus actions of the CIW’s 4 for Fair Food Tour and last month’s national Day of Action, farmworkers in Immokalee and SFA organizers are hitting the road this summer with the truth about Wendy’s stubborn refusal to open its supply chain to the industry-leading human rights monitoring of the Fair Food Program.
Wonder if the summer Truth Tours are coming soon to a city near you? Here’s the full schedule from the Student/Farmworker Alliance – and a bonus report from SFA Steering Committee’s high-energy strategy weekend in Philadelphia!
Starting on June 22, CIW and SFA leaders will set out across the U.S. to organize, agitate and educate hundreds of consumers in nearly a dozen cities, from Irvine, California to New York City, and bring in new allies to the ever-growing movement to boycott Wendy’s!
Below is the schedule of the summer “Boot the Braids” truth tours at a glance:
Southeast (June 22-26):
Charlotte, NC (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
Chapel Hill, NC (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Northeast (June 27-July 4):
Philadelphia, PA (Temple University)
New Brunswick, NJ (Rutgers University)
New York, NY
South Central (July 7-July 13):
Montgomery, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL (University of Alabama)
Baton Rouge, LA (Louisiana State University)
West (July 14-17):
Irvine, CA (University of California – Irvine)
Los Angeles, CA
Southwest (July 18-22):
Austin, TX (University of Texas – Austin)
All in all, the energizing weekend in Philly was a massive success: Not only did student leaders plan the summer tours, but the SFA retreat — generously hosted by the wonderful Aquinas Center in South Philly and Rev. Adan Mairena of West Kensington Ministry at Norris Square — was also dedicated to hammering out key details for upcoming national student-led actions, as well as plans for the soon-to-be-announced annual SFA Encuentro.
And, of course, no SFA meeting is complete without a creative protest! The SC took their building excitement for the summer and fall into the streets of North Philly at the local Wendy’s near Temple University, passing out hundreds of flyers about the “Boot the Braids” campaign and staging a theater skit featuring Wendy’s herself.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks as we announce details for each tour stop, including major events and actions. If we’re stopping near you, or you’re interested in hosting CIW and SFA leaders for an event or presentation with your campus group, community, or congregation during the summer “Boot the Braids” Truth Tours, get in touch with us at organize@sfalliance.org.
