[hupso_hide][hupso title=”.@willienelson, @FarmAid congratulate @CIW on Freedom from Want Medal!” url=”https://ciw-online.org/?p=16441″]
Note underscores common vision of a just agricultural system “which benefits workers, as well as farmers and eaters — in other words, all of us.”
Country legend and longtime food justice activist Willie Nelson wrote to the CIW last month with a powerful message of solidarity prompted by the announcement of the CIW’s selection to receive the 2013 Roosevelt Freedom from Want Medal. He wrote in his capacity as President of Farm Aid, the organization launched in the wake of the historic 1985 Farm Aid concert and dedicated to raising “awareness about the loss of family farms and to raising funds to keep farm families on their land,” and on behalf of his fellow artists John Mellencamp, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews. Here below is their message to the members of the CIW:
Dear Coalition of Immokalee Workers,On behalf of John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and the entire board and staff of Farm Aid, please accept our heartfelt congratulations on receiving the 2013 Franklin D. Roosevelt Medal for Freedom from Want. This honor is truly deserved!All of us at Farm Aid are inspired by your persistence and success in addressing the egregious injustice that occurs in farm fields across the U.S. We must all be far more aware of the many hands that make our food available to us. Your work is creating great possibility for transparency in the entire farm and food chain, which benefits workers, as well as farmers and eaters — in other words, all of us.We are proud to call the Coalition of Immokalee Workers a partner in the work to create a just system of agriculture.Sincerely,Willie NelsonPresident
