on Saturday, April 14 auteur Vincent Scotti Eirene traveled to Chicago with folk from across the country for the Concert for Fair Food…
Six years ago, a handful of farmworkers stood on the side of a street in Ft. Myers, Florida, to launch a campaign to hold the fast-food industry accountable for the exploitation of the workers who pick its tomatoes. On Saturday, some of those same workers stood on stage in Chicago, in a hall overflowing with allies and passion, to celebrate that campaign’s new agreement with the largest restaurant chain in the world and to declare the future of what has become now a full-fledged social movement, a movement grounded in a vision of dignity and human rights that extends well beyond the tomato fields of Florida.
The Hot 8 Brass Brand traveled all the way from New Orleans to join us for the planned Carnaval in Chicago, but was right at home in the House of Blues.
As the program reached the three hour mark, it was time to hear from the workers whose vision gave birth to the movement for Fair Food. Domingo Jacinto (far left) — one of the six CIW members who waged a 30-day hunger strike ten years ago in Immokalee to demand talks with Florida tomato growers — and Mathieu Beaucicot (with mic) gave thanks in Kanjobal and Haitian Creole to the crowd for standing shoulder to shoulder with workers from Immokalee in their battle.
The CIW wrapped up with a stirring speech by Lucas Benitez, a CIW member since its inception nearly 15 years ago, who connected the workers’ struggle to the Civil Rights movement and to the shared vision of a promised land where fundamental human rights are universally guaranteed to to all. Lucas also made clear that the path to the promised land runs through Miami, home to Burger King. He challenged Burger King to meet the new standards established in the McDonald’s agreement, or to face growing conflict to intensify by the year’s end.
And then, the moment so many had been waiting for during seven long, long years…
The reunion was done.
Here in this space, created by farmworkers from Immokalee, Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello came together again to lend their music and inspiration to the workers’ battle for a more just world.
film by Vincent Eirene / Blastfurnace TV
for more information: http://www.ciw-online.org/
Blastfurnace Radio / TV 
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