“… until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream!” Dr. Martin Luther King

What better way to celebrate MLK Day than marching to demand human rights in our food system!

Members of Ohio Fair Food gathered this past Friday to carry hundreds of paper tomatoes signed by Kroger customers during a protest march that began at the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, stopped at Kroger’s corporate headquarters, and continued on to a local Wendy’s for an introductory chat with the manager.

Fair food activists in cities across the country celebrated Martin Luther King Day weekend in a style that would surely make its namesake proud. From Immokalee to Oakland, consumers and farmworkers called on Publix, Kroger and Wendy’s to honor Dr. King’s message of economic and social justice by joining in partnership with the CIW in support of the groundbreaking Fair Food Program.

Leading the charge was none other than the fast-growing Ohio Fair Food — students, community, and faith leaders who share a passion for food justice and a home state with both Kroger and Wendy’s! From an examiner.com article on Friday’s protest (“For MLK Day weekend, advocates ask Kroger and Wendy’s to support farm workers,” 1/20/13):

“While Martin Luther King Jr. is most remembered for his civil rights work, another essential part of his vision was economic justice. Dr. King’s purpose in visiting Memphis, Tennessee, where he was assassinated, was to support sanitation workers who were striking to protest dangerous working conditions and inadequate benefits.

With this legacy in mind, on Friday afternoon 35 farm worker supporters gathered for a rally in Cincinnati to start off the Martin Luther King Day weekend. Members of Ohio Fair Food and the Ohio Student Association marched from the Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center to Kroger’s corporate headquarters…

… The rally proceeded to the Wendy’s restaurant on 4th Street to speak with the store manager. “Of the five largest fast food corporations in the country — McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s — Wendy’s is the only one not participating in the Fair Food Program,” said CIW member Santiago Perez.

To illustrate this point, CIW supporters wore costumes representing Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Subway to invite Wendy’s to “Come to the Party.” Rally participants also wore party hats and carried balloons…” read more

“I’m excited about all that lies before us. I wish you could have seen and felt the growing spirit and passion in every person at the action. As a long time organizer, this is the kind of stuff we all work hard for. It’s laying the ground for transformation in justice for the CIW workers, for you, for me, for all. It’s what we all hunger and fight for. So gracias to you and all in Immokalee. Please pass these sentiments and words on to all!”