Sojourners blog asks: Why not give up Publix for Lent this year?

Quiznos on the hot seat as Denver Fair Food calls for “Spring Blitz” of protests in company’s hometown…

The Bible boasts many prophets, but none spoke louder on the matters of human dignity, freedom, and justice than the Prophet Isaiah.

And so it is fitting that when the Rev. Clay Thomas, associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida, and Jordan Buckley of Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida launched a call for a “fast of justice” this Lenten season in the pages of the Sojourners blog, they quoted Isaiah:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isa. 58:6)

The focus of the piece is on Publix and its now infamous position on farmworker exploitation and social responsibility (“If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business.”) But its call for action goes beyond Publix, concluding:

“During Lent please join us and abstain from shopping at the supermarkets that have rejected CIW’s invitation to help create a more just industry – Publix, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop and Giant.” read more

The article is an articulate call for a truly justice-focused fast this year, and is very much worth taking a moment to read. You can find it here: “Support Farmworkers this Lent: Fast for Justice,” Sojourners, 3/7/11.

Denver Fair Food activists held this remarkably creative protest outside Quiznos headquarters last October. One can only imagine what they have up their collective sleeve for the coming Spring Blitz!

Meanwhile, in Denver (where the Denver Fair Food crew is fresh from an exciting sojourn of its own in Tampa, joining us for the grand finale of the Do the Right Thing Tour) Fair Food activists are keeping their eyes on the local prize — Quiznos.

Like Publix, Quiznos – which continues to profit from the exploitation of farmworkers – has yet to do its part to help alleviate that exploitation. While there have been discussions with the CIW, those talks continue to drag on because Quiznos won’t agree to the same Fair Food principles that the entire Florida tomato industry has already adopted.

So, Denver Fair Food has announced its “Spring Blitz,” three weeks of “protest against Quiznos and for farmworkers’ human rights.” If you live in the Denver area and believe that respect for human rights is fundamental to a just food system, you can join them. Visit their site for all the information you need to add your voice to the upcoming protests.

The Do the Right Thing Tour may be a wrap, but the action never stops in the Campaign for Fair Food! Check back again soon for more breaking news, including a compilation of press, CIW media, and more from the Tour that has has continued to come in since the big final rally in Tampa. And if, for some inexplicable reason you still haven’t watched the video that follows below, do yourself a favor and click on the play button today!