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Students at the University of Florida are working to help farmworkers battle for fair wages and basic human rights.
By Kristen Abdullah and Richard Blake
November 16, 2009
Migrant worker Jorge Rodriguez plays the “quijada,” in Immokalee, Fla. Farmworkers celebrated the recent decision by Taco Bell to accede to the demands of local tomato pickers, who led a four-year boycott against the restaurant chain, and pay a penny more for each pound of Florida tomatoes. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
As we made the four-hour journey south to tomato-town Immokalee, Fla., we ran through the itinerary for the long weekend to come and familiarized ourselves with the 40-plus pages of reading material that we were supposed to have completed three weeks before. The thick packet of literature included stories like “Immokalee family sentenced for slavery,” “Apartheid in America,” and “A more-complete definition of ‘sustainable.’” By the time we arrived in the desolate town, just after midnight, we felt confident in our school-child ability to recite the labor history of this town and felt briefed on the ultimate reason for our visit.
After becoming fed up with the impoverished condition that enslaved them, migrant workers started a grassroots organization called the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in 1993. Consisting mostly of people from Mexico, Guatemala, and Haiti, these workers had already experienced both verbal and physical abuses since their arrival in the United States. Most of them could remember a time when, back in their own countries, they survived as subsistence farmers—selling crops and living off corn, squash, beans, and, most important, their own autonomy. They weren’t rich, but they were dignified.
But after the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was established among the United States, Canada, and Mexico, these small-time farmers could not compete with subsidized crops from the States. Before, Mexico was a major wheat exporter. Now, Mexico only exports cheap labor.
The hip-hop heavyweight is on a college tour, though audiences should expect to hear more weighty rhetoric than witty rhymes.
Cross-post by Delaney Rohan, Campus Progress
Laying his rap talents aside for an evening, critically-acclaimed hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco gave George Washington University students a lesson in history this week. But unlike what’s taught in closed-door college classrooms, this lesson belonged to anyone who would listen.
Facing a darkened auditorium of over 100 students, Fiasco, drenched in a spotlight, began the evening by reading a now exalted speech Muhammad Ali once made in protest of the Vietnam War.
Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over.
Nearly 40 years later—with America still mired in Iraq, the Obama Administration contemplating sending 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, and nearly 50 million people lacking access to health care –Ali’s message remained emotionally relevant.
It had started off simple enough.
Two weeks ago, still relatively new in my position as a Northeast Regional Coordinator with AIDemocracy, I spent a few hours trawling through Social Edge and twitter. With an eye on global development and security, my goal was to discover what was being done already in the non-profit world, who was doing it best and who among these folk were the most open to collaboration.
I made a number of new friends: the people at Acumen Fund, Water Charity (not to be confused with charity:water), Be Unreasonable, Sangam India, CORD and Open Society Institute were fantastic right off the bat– They were engaging, interested and human. It was like a Utopian first day at school.
In the context of my new job and projects I had in mind, I needed to know what was being done in terms of technology support for non-profit outreach and education services. One name that came up regularly was Ken Banks, founder of Kiwanja.net
I had heard of Kiwanja in passing before, but didn’t know much about it’s main project FrontlineSMS, otherwise known as \o/ (Which, btw, is a design based on this fantastic visual here).
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Before this Saturday, I had no idea who Ken Banks is as a person, and was as wary as a product of post-post-colonialism can be of anybody who does “non-profit work” in “Africa”. I was afraid I might run into yet another individual who’s working to “save Africa” just because that’s what Bono, the UN and everyone else is talking about right now.
[And if this is something that bothers you, Aid Watch has a great post on the issue here.]
I sent an email to Ken, one of those self-introduction/basic outline of project/can we chat sometime emails. You must remember that I moonlight as a writer: after all my experiences writing lit mag queries, I was prepared to face rejection or silence.
Post by Gina Del Tito, Dickinson College
The setting was safe: four cozy black chairs against a blue backdrop, the occupants of the chairs themselves comfortably diverse, male/female, black/white. Was it the recipe for the perfect panel? Moderator Candice Knezevic, RAISE Hope for the Congo’s campaign manager, opened the Working Session on Human Rights, deeming Crimes Against Humanity the issue of a generation and positing that which we had heard before: “How do we ensure that ‘Never Again’ never, happens, again?” But our question for the session sought specificity: “What can we, as young progressive student activists do to prevent crimes against humanity?” Turns out maybe more than we might think.
Adam Sterling started things rolling on a good note describing the nuances of financing atrocities. He spoke of his own personal experiences with divestment campaigns growing the on-the-ground impact of small student organizations and letter writing campaigns into national legislation, in his case the Sudan Accountability Act. His words were perfectly tuned for student activists, a concrete example of awesome work that students at UCLA had done.
Judithe Registre of Women for Women International (WfWI) spoke beautifully about the impact of conflict on women. “My body cannot be the ground upon which you fight this war,” she intoned in her melodic and accented voice. Despite her passion about violence against women as an international issue and inspirational words about rape as a weapon of war, her testimony, while moving was less apt for students who live in the United States and are unable to work directly with victims of gender violence as WfWI does. The women’s empowerment that Registre and her fellows do is stellar motivation and a great aspiration for post-graduate work. But what do we do right now? How can we effect change while still maintaining our status as students, and not flunking out of college?
Jimmie Briggs did not have a lot of answers either. His slightly disdainful air in speaking about his accomplishments was a turn off for me, belittling the incredible work that he was describing. When he saw a distinct lack of a youth component to the movement against gender violence, he began working within the Hip-Hop movement to engage young men to “ManUP,” the name of his organization. He saw a way to use Hip Hop artists and culture as well as the world of sports for advocacy and change.
Greetings readers!
Though I’m pretty new to AID, as the summer Global Health Intern, it doesn’t take much time to recognize that our AID student network is heavily immersed in campus initiatives and social justice organizations across the spectrum. It’s hard to imagine that I can bring a new organization to your attention, but I’m going to give it a shot…
Ever heard of Banaa?
Banaa, or the Sudanese Educational Empowerment Network, is the brainchild of two George Washington University alumni, who have the following vision:
“To end the genocide in Darfur and prevent fresh conflict in the south of Sudan, there must be peacemakers on all sides. With this in mind, we provide marginalized individuals who have seen the horrors of war with the tools to make peace. By the end of the decade, we aim to empower hundreds of new peacemakers, helping unheard voices find space in the Sudanese political arena.”
-www.Banaa.org
How do they accomplish this empowering of peacemakers? Through education at American universities! Banaa seeks to partner Sudanese scholars with scholarship opportunities at universities across the United States. Once the students arrive to the States, they are given orientations, and assigned several university advisors who guide them through a four-year curriculum that will help them return to Sudan with important skills in peacemaking and conflict resolution, public health, or other fields vital to the future of Sudan.
The first Sudanese student to matriculate at GWU, named Makwei Mabioor Deng, started his freshman year in the fall of 2008. The articles included below offer more information about Makwei’s experience at GW. Makwei was one of over 160 applicants for this inaugural scholarship, which means that scores of driven and accomplished students had to be turned away. With the help of more universities funding scholarships–even just for one student–powerful, personal connections can be made between American college students and these Sudanese students, and peacemaking skills learned by Banaa scholars can be applied to the complex reality of Sudan.
The Banaa movement is growing on campuses across the country. According to the Washington Post, there are over 35 Banaa chapters at different universities. These chapters don’t grow without advocacy, awareness, and action, however, so find ways to get involved! Visit www.banaa.org for information on how to host a student on your campus, or to find out about campuses that are on their way to accepting students. Banaa.org offers toolkits on how to broach the topic with fellow students and campus administrators. They also offer a FAQ sheet that may address questions you’re having (“How can students from refugee camps be admitted to US universities?” “How will you ensure that the students return to Sudan?”). Moreover, the dedicated founding members of Banaa are always ready to provide further information or assistance to college students who want to support the cause.
Visit www.banaa.org, and find out more today!
Some news articles, provided by banaa.org, to learn more about the Banaa mission and experience:
“Student Activist Brings Sudan Native to GWU” [Washington Post]
“University Creates Darfur Grant” [GW Hatchet]
“Sudanese Refugee will attend GW” [GW Hatchet]
“A Dream Come True” [GW Hatchet]
“Tufts Banaa: a Strategic Initiative for Peace in the Sudan” [The Tufts Daily]
Post by Connie & Anika, STAND: Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, University of Delaware
The United Nations estimates that over 2.5 million people have been displaced in Darfur, as a result of the genocide that endures in this region. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are those forced to leave their homes but reside within their country in shelters known as IDP camps.
Last year, we attended the “Seal the Deal” rally in Washington D.C, in which hundreds urged Pre
sident Bush to enforce passed legislation in dealing with Darfur. Several mock IDP camps were set up on the National Mall, exposing the realities of life inside of a real IDP camp via accurate representations of food rations and medical supplies, as well as photographs, videos and written information. These camps immediately caught our attention and we, along with many others, spent a great deal of time walking inside each tent to learn more about the lives of the displaced people of Darfur.
After the march, we decided to apply for a Rights, Camera Action mini-grant from AID in order to create a mock IDP camp similar to the ones we saw at the rally in D.C. for our campus’s next genocide awareness event.
Read the rest of this entry »
A guest post by Patrick Cox, Global Peace & Security Advocate, University of Dallas, TX
When I had inquired into participating in my university’s International Day Festival, I discovered from the Office of International Student Services that I might very well be the only Persian on our small, private liberal arts university campus. I have yet to come across anyone else from a Persian background, so I guess my university has half of a Persian. Located near the Dallas Cowboys’ Texas Stadium in the suburb of Irving, the University of Dallas is a far cry from the consciously cosmopolitan atmosphere that I had been accustomed to at Boston University in my undergraduate years.
Held every spring in the center of campus, the International Day Festival is a meeting of cultures and a chance for members of the university community to explore other countries and their cultures and ethnic foods. This year, the Festival boasted booths with student representatives from Thailand, Latin America, Africa, India, the Arab World, and more, and it happened to fall on the day before Norouz, the Persian New Year. So, on March 19th, I packed my car with books on Iran, my laptop, an Iranian flag, Persian sweets, handcrafts, artwork, and other eye-catchers for the booth and headed to campus.
In every generation there is a social movement that captivates the minds of the youth and challenges the establishment. A generation ago the battle was for social justice, today the youth fight for the global environment. On college campuses throughout the United States, from the gates of Cornell to the waves of San Francisco, universities have begun to create sustainability committees in an attempt to “Go Green.” These committees were formulated by the growing demand of their students to take a proactive role in greenerizing their institutions. Petitions were drafted and student organizations were created in an attempt to challenge their universities levels of sustainability. Many of them have succeeded. Starting two years ago, presidents from universities in all 50 states and Puerto Rico signed an agreement to redesign their infrastructures and become sustainable centers of learning.
The American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, (ACUPCC), provides a framework for participating institutions to neutralize their greenhouse gas emissions. While funding scientific research for sustainability, the universities will incorporate such developments into their curriculum, influencing the next generation of leaders in this country. Due to the strong demand by progressive minded students, presidents like Michael Hogan of the University of Connecticut, saw this as an opportunity for academia to lead the nation and serve as a model for modern America. As a part of the university’s commitment, Hogan instated a sustainability committee that is responsible to develop a sustainable divisional plan. Working with representatives from the administration, transportation, residential life, dinning services, community outreach, health services, and the student body, this committee brings together the entire university to solve a universal problem. This communal effort is being repeated throughout this country from the ivy universities to local community colleges.
As these committees make assessments of their universities, their discoveries and suggestions have begun to be implemented. 27 institutions have implanted some degree of green building requirements. The majority of them have adopted LEED certification standards. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, (LEED) certified buildings are scored on their sustainability, efficiency, materials used, and their environmental impact. The Los Angeles Community College District is implementing one of the largest public sustainable building efforts in the United States, allocating $2.2 billion for their LEEd certified projects. Serving 130,000 people, this program will serve as a model for cities all across the country. With 130 campuses already having sources of renewable energy, 70 more institutions including New York University and Santa Cruz are joining the list. In December of 2007, College of the Atlantic became the first US university to be carbon neutral. The signatory is on track with its 10 year commitment to renewable energy. These redesigned institutions will serve as an example of how we as individuals can have an influence in our communities.
The environmental consciousnesses of students on college campuses across the United States lead to the ACUPCC. With in two years there has been a dramatic investment by institutions. Committees have been formed, assessments made, funding allocated, and construction begun. With only 150 signatories, there is still much progress to be made. The grassroot youth is needed to begin about such changes. For more information on the ACUPCC or for information on how you school can sign the Commitment please visit their sites. After all, the torch has been pasted to a new generation of Americans.
Guest post from Shanika Yapa, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum:
A full blown campaign is in effect to pressure Russell Athletics to respect the rights 
of workers at Jerzees de Honduras which is a Russell factory in Honduras. Just a few weeks ago, NC State announced that they would be ending its contract with athletic clothing supplier Russell Athletics, because the corporation didn’t meet with the labor requirements set by UNC ten years earlier. Harvard too has joined the cause and is among the18 schools affiliated with the Worker Rights Consortium that have dropped Russell because of the company’s freedom of association violations in its factories. According to Scott Nova, the executive director of the WRC, Russell Athletics is, “…well on their way to being the first company in history to be kicked out of collegiate sports because of their labor practices.”
In a report published by the ILRF last year, Russell Corporation was recognized one of the five worst companies to associate with. The Russell apparel factory in Honduras has been under fire about its disregard towards workers’ legal right to form a union. Union members have faced lay-offs, threats from management and supervisors (a report by the Workers Rights Consortium reported at least 70 incidents where workers were threatened), and last year, the factory closed down due to issues with forming unions. One worker in the factory said that, a manager had cautioned the workers, stating that, “This factory is going to close because of the union… The workers will starve because they got involved with the union.”
Russell Corporation, and Fruit of the Loom, its parent company has also been questioned of using child harvested cotton for its production of t-shirts, and Russell unlike most other major brands and retailers haven’t taken a stand against stopping the use of child labor in the cotton industry in Uzbekistan – one of the world’s largest producers of cotton.
Russell’s anti-union attitude has lead to most schools including UNC, Harvard, Penn State, Duke, Rutgers, Columbia and the University of Michigan to drop their contracts with the company until the labor issues have been dealt with and the workers are supported in their choice to form unions.
While it’s true that large institutions have a bigger impact and can corner Russell Corporation into reversing their position on the right to unionize with ease, you too can take a stand for a worker’s right to unionize.
- Send a letter to Chris Champion, General Counsel at Russell Corporation
- Find out more about what happened at the Russell Corporation, Honduras factory (PDF report)
- Take part in the Rein In Russell Speaking Tour April 13-28
Guest post from Jason Tiezzi, AID Chapter at College of William &Mary:
How can we as a society be sustainable, so that we are leaving the Earth no worse than we found it? And how can we as citizens do the same?
It’s a tough question to answer, but we gave it our best shot by inviting professor and sustainable farmer Charlie Maloney to the College of William & Mary earlier this month. His talk focused on ways for us as individuals to get involved with sustainable practices, in particular, about the difference between organic and sustainable, the importance of buying sustainable products, and how to find them. Overall, you couldn’t help but admire the upbeat energy he felt when speaking of both farming and sustainability.
Next, we had Phil Zapfel, Co-President of the Student Environmental Action Coalition and member of the College Committee on Sustainability, speak briefly on opportunities for students to get involved in sustainable projects on campus, for example, getting the cafeterias buy more sustainable food products, planting behind several campus buildings, and joining the committee on sustainability itself.
Following Phil’s advice, our AID chapter members handed out free, re-usable AID canvas bags to those in attendance for groceries and other purchases. The bags were a huge hit. Who doesn’t love getting free stuff and helping the environment at the same time? Hopefully, participants learned a little bit more about the importance of sustainable agriculture and local food systems, discovered new avenues for environmental activism on campus, and if nothing else, at least they will be using one more canvas bag during their next trip to the grocery store!
