Press Conference at University Lutheran Church February 22, 2013

Gainesville religious leaders, University of Florida faculty and students gathered at University Lutheran Church on Friday afternoon February 22nd to release a new interfaith clergy letter to Publix and announce the upcoming March for Rights, Respect and Fair Food.  We also introduced a group of thirteen UF students leaving to spend Spring Break in Homestead and learn about migrant worker rights.

Rabbi David Kaiman of Congregation B'nai Israel, Rev. Larry Green of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Father Les Singleton of the Episcopal Church of the Mediator in Micanopy were among the speakers.

Dr. Samuel Trickey of National Farm Worker Ministry put the struggle for justice for farm workers in the context of more than forty years of effort by so many.  Professor Paul Ortiz read the latest interfaith clergy letter to Publix.

Our friends from Immokalee Claire Comiskey and Oscar Otzoy told of the real gains for workers in the Fair Food Agreement and explained why we must bring Publix to the table.

Marlee Henninge introduced the group of UF students who will spend their Spring Break in Homestead with the Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations.

Meet the CIW! February 27th @ 3PM

Where:University Lutheran Church, 1824 West University Avenue, Gainesville FL

When: 3pm!

Gainesville Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice welcomes a delegation from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers who are here to invite Gainesville participation in the March for Rights and Fair Food March 3-17, especially on Sunday afternoon March 17 in Lakeland.

CIW Solidarity Action Outside Wendy's - 14 Febraury 2013

 

We're kicking off the season with a big Valentine’s Day proposal (and Valentine's Day themed action!) to Wendy’s to sign a Fair Food Agreement with the CIW. Throughout the week of Valentine’s Day, allies of farmworkers all over the country will call on Wendy’s to partner with the CIW.

On Thursday, February 14 @5pm, we will gather outside the Wendy’s on 1711 North Main Street in Gainesville to call on Wendy’s to join CIW's Fair Food Program.

By joining the program, Wendy's would commit to buying Florida tomatoes only from growers that respect farmworkers' basic rights. 

Join us to send a strong message to the company here in Gainesville!

Facebook event link HERE

IAIJ Unveils Our First Newsletter!

Download/view it here - IAIJ Winter 2013

Special thanks to Liz Getman for getting the word out about upcoming events and reporting on the latest!

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Also, one of our members shares her immigration story in the Gainesville Sun. Check it out here.

January 28th Event - Presentation to Gainesville Faith Community! (7pm) 

Our group of committed members is excited to start this New Year with you in the city of Gainesville. One of our 2013 goals is to engage our faith communities and local residents on an even deeper level.

Our first step is a special event on January 28 designed to educate friends and supporters about Florida’s immigrant justice movement and how the community can become more involved. The evening will begin at 7 p.m. at the Emmanual Mennonite Church located on 236 NW 18th Avenue in Gainesville.

Highlights will include:

• "Breaking Bread, Building Bridges” potluck initiative
• Detainee visitations in local prisons
• History of migrant farmworkers in Florida
• Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ “March for Rights, Respect, and Fair Food”
• National Farmworker Awareness Week
• Legislative updates at the state level
  
  
  We hope you’ll consider joining us as we discuss efforts to achieve immigrant and farmworker justice in Florida and throughout the nation. Please email us with any questions.
  

Local Residents and Clergy to Urge Gainesville Wendy’s to

Sign Fair Food Agreement

Gainesville, FL (January 18, 2013) – Members of Gainesville’s Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice (IAIJ) and local clergy will gather at the North Main Street Wendy’s on Monday, January 21 at 11:00 a.m. to encourage the fast food chain to sign the Fair Food Agreement—a contract that would guarantee fair wages and working conditions for Florida farmworkers.

Residents will present a letter to the Wendy’s manager and encourage him/her to pass it along to the chain’s corporate headquarters. They are acting in conjunction with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) of Immokalee, Florida, which partners with Florida immigrants and farmworkers to end unfair labor conditions and wages.

The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food has resulted in Fair Food Agreements with major retailers, such as Taco Bell, McDonald's, Compass Group, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe's. Wendy’s is one of the last fast food chains to sign the agreement.

For more information, please contact: Richard Macmaster at (352) 371-6772 or GainesvilleIAIJ@gmail.com; or Sheila Payne at (831) 334-0117.

The Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice is a coalition of local faith communities and Gainesville residents working with farmworkers and immigrant rights leaders to support justice in their own traditions. For more information, please visit www.gainesvilleiaij.blogspot.com.

The Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a community-based organization mainly comprised of Latino, Mayan Indian, and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. The coalition’s primary objectives are to build strength as a community on a basis of reflection and analysis, attention to coalition-building across ethnic divisions, and investment in the leadership development of members. From this foundation, CIW advocates for: a fair wage for workers; respect from supervisors and the industries in which workers are employed; higher quality and more affordable housing; improved laws and enforcement against those who violate workers’ rights; the right to organize without fear of retaliation; and an end to forced labor in the fields. To learn more about the CIW, visit www.ciw-online.org.

Gainesville Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice

Equipping faith communities with tools to live out their own tradition's call for justice

Organizing faith communities to work together towards the goal of immigrant justice

Connecting faith communities with local, state, and national immigrant rights and farm worker rights movement leaders