With all the attention so far on Trader Joe’s, the Tour crew couldn’t forget about Giant! After traveling up from DC, a very busy Day 3 started with a protest at a Giant in Lansdowne, PA, just outside of Philadelphia.

A large delegation delivered a Manager Letter to four Giant representatives waiting outside the store. The pastor of the local Presbyterian Church, just a few blocks away, shared with the Giant Managers that she and many of her congregants shopped at this particular Giant but that the call to justice was too great for her to ignore and required her to stand up for farmworkers. She implored Giant to do the right thing.

After the Giant action, the tour crew split up for presentations and exchanges with organizations in Philadelphia. Here Wilson Perez of the CIW discusses the current status of the Campaign for Fair Food with our friends at the Media Mobilizing Project in West Philly.

Following the presentations, the Tour crew got back together and took advantage of a few free moments to see some of the sights of Philadelphia, including the Liberty Bell, and to learn about the history of the abolitionist movement in in the historic city.

Before long, though, it was time again for action. At Trader Joe’s, protesters formed lines on both sides of the entrance to greet entering and exiting customers with banners and fliers. Our friends from the Media Mobilizing Project and the Philadelphia Student Union led the group throughout the afternoon in singing freedom songs and improvised verses about the Campaign for Fair Food.

But more than anything else, the next two hours were spent in conversation after conversation — face to face…

… consumer to consumer — conversations about the struggle for Fair Food and Trader Joe’s refusal to meet the standards set by leaders of the fast-food industry and the foodservice industry for a more humane tomato supply chain.

Dozens of Trader Joe’s customers joined the movement for Fair Food right there, on the spot…

… while tens of thousands more learned about the movement, and how they can let Trader Joe’s know that they won’t accept exploitation any longer, through the local media coverage of the protest.

Finally, the Tour crew headed to West Philadelphia for three hours of tabling and talking with consumers during the “Dollar Stroll” (a monthly summer event where thousands flock to Baltimore Ave for $1 specials from local restaurants). Long after the Dollar Stroll ended and it got dark, the steady stream of people shocked by Trader Joe’s refusal to support farmworker justice kept the table so busy that the crew had to split up to make it to its next event, an evening meet-up with local Fair Food supporters.

With a successful stop in Philadelphia behind them, the Tour crew continued up I-95 to New York City. Check back soon for the report from the Big Apple!