Faith communities make plans to turn up the heat on Wendy’s across the state of Florida, from Orlando to Tampa, Miami, Homestead, Ft. Lauderdale, Naples, and Sarasota this summer!
Hot on the heels of the announcement of this summer’s Boot the Braids Tours, during which students and farmworkers will be mobilizing to kick Wendy’s off campuses from coast to coast, the Alliance for Fair Food has announced another major mobilization right here in Fair Food’s home state of Florida: the “Faith in Fair Food” Tour! As we saw in Gainesville during the final stop of this spring’s 4 for Fair Food Tour, young people were hardly alone in demanding that major universities cut their contracts with Wendy’s. Rather, hundreds of people of faith across many traditions — including many faith leaders who have long formed the moral foundation of the Fair Food movement — joined students on that massive march in Gainesville this past spring, and they will be joining them again this summer in demanding real social responsibility from the fast-food giant.
Today, we bring you the announcement from the Alliance for Fair Food of this summer’s Florida “Faith in Fair Food Tour” to Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Southwest Florida starting in late July – so make sure to mark your calendars, Florida!
The Alliance for Fair Food is thrilled to announce the “Faith in Fair Food Tour” for this summer, in which farmworkers from Immokalee and AFF organizers will connect with new and longtime faith allies across Florida, the home state of the Fair Food Movement. Just months ago, countless allies across the Sunshine State rallied together in the lively finale of the CIW’s 4 for Fair Food Tour in Gainesville, FL, demanding the University of Florida “Boot the Braids” and cut its Wendy’s contract until the company joins the Fair Food Program. The arrival of faith allies from across the state made it clear it was time to nourish our roots.
Florida faith allies have been some of the earliest supporters of CIW. We can thank a local Immokalee Catholic church for lending a meeting room that served as the original meeting space for the CIW’s grassroots farmworker organizing in the early 90’s. Today, as energy for the Wendy’s boycott builds towards the upcoming semester in the Boot the Braids campaign, people of faith and entire communities are rallying behind students and farmworkers to push Wendy’s off university campuses, as well as passing their own endorsements, city council resolutions, and pledged commitments to supporting the ongoing campaign for farmworker justice!
No matter where you are in the country, we hope to hear from you! Below is the schedule of the summer “Faith in Fair Food Tour” at a glance:
South Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Homestead) — July 23-30
Tampa — August 12-18
Orlando — August 19-25
Southwest Florida (Ft. Myers, Naples, Sarasota) — August 26-September 1
Faith allies, if you are interested in connecting with us during the Faith in Fair Food Tour and beyond, please do not hesitate to reach out! You can reach us at:
Alex Schelle, alex@allianceforfairfood.org, 239-255-8418
Uriel Perez, uriel@allianceforfairfood.org, 305-305-1212
