Lucas Benitez Inspires and Challenges Folks on Long Island
A report on CIW member Lucas Benitez' tour of Long Island by Rev. Noelle Damico
As
members of the CIW kicked off their NW Tour in Seattle,
Lucas Benitez kicked of a mini-tour in Long Island NY,
accompanied by the Rev. Noelle Damico, National Coordinator
of the Taco Bell Boycott for the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.)
Thursday morning, Lucas spoke to a roundtable of workers,
advocates, growers, federal and state labor inspectors
and lawyers, health and social service providers, and
religious leaders called the “Farm Labor Outreach
Project” convened by the Department of Labor.
In June 2004 Long Island experienced its own case of
modern day slavery. Federal authorities disclosed that
59 Peruvian men, women and children were held in captivity
by three of their compatriots. The DOL and the Farm
Labor Outreach Project was eager to learn more about
CIW’s anti-slavery work and the Taco Bell boycott. See
the article from Newsday.
Then Lucas and Noelle attended a lunch discussion sponsored
by the Protestant Campus Ministry of the State University
of New York at Stony Brook where they discussed student
and religious support for the boycott. Brother Clark
Berge, Protestant Chaplain then arranged for Lucas,
Noelle, and himself to do a radio interview on “shalom”
(or just peace) that will broadcast and webcast in November
on the college station WUSB. Lucas was especially articulate
in illustrating how the CIW’s non-violent actions
like the hunger strikes, marches, and labor stoppages
have been critical for advancing the work of justice
in the fields.
In the evening “Professor Lucas” guest lectured
at an economics class at SUNY taught by Prof. Michael
Zweig, that has been examining the power of working
people to organize and change the very systems that
impoverish us all. Professors, students, and staff were
eager to take the next steps in thinking about how to
draw attention to the work in light of the Taco Bell
restaurant on H-quad.
On Friday Lucas and Noelle did an interview with “Labor
Lines” a workers’ rights show that is hosted
by Victor Fusco and broadcast across the nation. The
show will air in November and be available by webcast.
Vic was adamant that consumers wake up and use their
power to propel the boycott and the work for fast food
forward.
Friday evening, Lucas joined Willie Baptist of the Poor
People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign for an
evening discussion on poverty-wage work in America and
how workers are organizing for change. Hosted by the
Setauket Presbyterian Church, the program was well-attended
and the questions and answers went on for 90 minutes!
Church and community members are eager to promote the
boycott and helped themselves to gobs of the new CIW
postcard.
On Saturday morning Lucas and Noelle met with day laborers
as they sought work along Highway 83 and Horseblock
Rd. in Farmingville. You might have heard that two workers
were beaten to within an inch of their lives several
years ago, the home of a worker and his family was fire-bombed
in 2003 and that tension in the community is high. Anti-immigrant
folks try to intimidate workers through active protests
where they gather to look for work and lobbying the
county legislature to “deport illegals.”
Meanwhile contractors come every day seeking workers
they really need and the workers labor hard for very
little pay. This past year a documentary called “Farmingville”
aired on PBS across the country that highlights the
struggles of this community. It won the Sundance documentary
award and is periodically screened in community theatres.
Look for it.
On Saturday night Lucas and Noelle met with about 20
students from Stony Brook University, Ward Melville
High School and even a 6th grader from Minnesaukee Elementary
School to discuss how students have been a critical
part of the Taco Bell boycott and the campaign for fair
food. The students were jazzed and networked together
about how they could work together to make a difference.
Sunday was a long and wonderful day as Lucas keynoted
at a gathering of 400 day laborers from Farmingville
at Little Portion Friary in Mt. Sinai. Human Solidarity,
a group of workers, has organized a soccer league as
a way of building community. It was a highly successful
venture and Lucas gave an inspiring speech and spent
time strategizing with workers about next steps for
moving their struggle forward.
At 3:00am EST Lucas took off for JFK airport so he could
fly out to Seattle and join the NW Tour. All of us here
on Long Island are incredibly grateful for having had
the opportunity to meet with him and pledge to do our
part to keep the campaign for fair food growing here
on the East Coast.