Human Trafficking Day turns spotlight on slavery in the fields, supermarket industry refusal to work with CIW, Campaign for Fair Food!
As was the case with Andy Marlette, a widely-circulated cartoonist with the Pensacola News Journal who penned the above cartoon in honor of Human Trafficking Day, many an editorial writer had Florida farm slavery on their mind this past January 11th.
And most vexing to the writers was the refusal of supermarkets like Publix and Ahold to work with the CIW to end slavery in the tomato industry.
From the Gainesville Sun to the Palm Beach Post, and even the national faith and social justice blog Sojourners, writers called on the supermarket industry to do its part in the fight against slavery. Here below is an excerpt from one of the editorials, and links to three of the best:
- “Human Trafficking and the Food We Buy,” (Sojourners, 1/11/11)
- “Time to stop human trafficking,” (Gainesville Sun, 1/10/11)
- “Publix not on board with protecting farmworkers,” (Palm Beach Post, 1/9/11)
“Tuesday marks Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a yearly acknowledgment of the odious prevalence of forced labor. Since 1997, nine cases of modern-day slavery involving more than 1,100 Florida farmworkers have been brought successfully to court.
In South Florida, deemed “ground zero for modern slavery” by a chief assistant U.S. attorney who has prosecuted multiple servitude operations, we need look no further than our local supermarket to find indifference to the plight of Floridians held against their will. Publix, a major buyer of Sunshine State produce, recently made known its lack of concern for abuse in its supply chain. When asked by The Bulletin in Alabama last month about exploitation on the farms where it buys its produce, Publix spokesman Dwaine Stevens responded: “If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business. Maybe it’s something the government should get involved with.”…
… By contrast, local Publix competitor Whole Foods signed an agreement with the CIW in 2008, committing its considerable purchasing power toward more humane labor standards in Florida’s tomato industry. Food retailers that take a stand for the rights of the women and men who harvest our nation’s food – as opposed to shamelessly shrugging off their enslavement as “not our business” – truly make shopping a pleasure.” read more
All the more reason to join us for the February 27 to March 5 Ahold/Publix mobilizations and tour
!