This past weekend, as the Campaign for Fair Food continued to gain momentum across the country, young people from all corners of Texas gathered in Houston for a weekend of skill-sharing, strategizing and action during the 2010 Texas Regional Encuentro!
|
After spending the morning discussing the history of the CIW and SFA and getting up to date on recent campaign developments, participants - running the gamut from newcomers to some who have been active since the Taco Bell Boycott - took to the streets for a one-mile march to one of the campaign's national targets...
|
...Kroger supermarket (which might be do business in your neck of the woods under one of these brand names)!
|
After gathering first in front of the Kroger, marchers made their presence known nearby on busy Cullen Blvd, where, over the course of the rally, several would-be Kroger shoppers decided to take their business elsewhere after learning about the reality of farmworker exploitation in Kroger's supply chain... and they're not likely to be the last to do so.
Next week, CIW allies across the country will be participating in a National Supermarket Week of Action to let Kroger, Ahold (that's Stop & Shop and Giant, for those of you in the northeast and mid-atlantic) and Publix know that it's past time they come to the table and enter into an agreement with the CIW.
(Click here for a manager letter that can be dropped off at your local supermarket as part of the week of action; contact us for more action ideas and resources.)
|
Following the action, it was back to UH, where members of Unite Here shared information about their work organizing in the Texas hospitality industry, leading to a great discussion of solidarity and all of our role in the greater movement for social justice. |
And as SFA'ers are never content with "all work and no play," Saturday concluded with a rousing fandango with music from Austin's own Son Jarocho group Son Armado. Here, none other than one of SFA's 2010 Texas-based Steering Committee members gets down with some zapateado. |
|
...information that was put to immediate use in a spirited action on the University of Houston campus... |
...the same campus that recently joined a national wave of Student Senate resolutions calling on food service provider Aramark to work with the CIW. |
Creative artwork abounded on the march through campus and rally in a busy dining hall, where Encuentro participants had the opportunity to talk to fellow students about the campaign before delivering a letter to a campus Aramark representative.
|
All in all, the message was clear: until Aramark does the right thing, this campaign will only continue to escalate. In the words of many present at the Texas Encuentro, "Aramark, it's time to cut the crap!" (Yes, that is what you think it is in the middle of the above picture.)
|
Finally, as the weekend came to a close, it was time for an all-important Regional Strategy session! Among other commitments, Texas SFA'ers made plans to organize several caravans to march with the CIW in the upcoming Farmworker Freedom March and committed to organize a number of local actions in their own communities.
With that, the 2010 Texas Regional Encuentro was a wrap, leaving participants motivated and more committed than ever to continue their work on the Campaign for Fair Food!
Click here for a first-hand report from an Encuentro participant.
Contact your nearest Steering Committee member to connect with SFA'ers in your region!
|
