Wendy’s Boycott takes Columbus by storm!

Boycott momentum growing by the day as Workers’ Voice Tour rolls into Ohio…

Day One of the Workers’ Voice Tour in New York City — with the official launch of the CIW’s Wendy’s Boycott, followed by an unforgettable march on the Park Avenue offices of Wendy’s Board Chair Nelson Peltz — was a huge success.  But with the launch behind us and the Tour now well into its first week, the work of spreading the boycott message has begun in earnest.  And if this past weekend’s reception of the Workers’ Voice Tour in Columbus, Ohio, was any indication, this boycott, only the second in the 15-year history of the Campaign for Fair Food, is going to spread like wildfire.

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Yesterday’s march through Columbus of more than 500 workers and consumers was big, colorful, and infectious, winning support from countless pedestrians and drivers alike along its 3-mile long route.  The tweet below, by a passerby who happened upon the march while grabbing a tea at a local coffee shop, reflects the effectiveness of the communication — from a flyer and a conversation in the street, straight to social media and a whole new online community — between the marchers and the town:

We begin our account from Day Four of the Workers’ Voice Tour with a short video of the Columbus action (below).  Following the video will be a photo report in which we’re going to sit back (for the most part) and let the faces and art of the march tell the story of the day all by themselves, and we’ll finish with a brief bonus video from the arrival of the Tour crew in Columbus on the eve of the action.  Enjoy, and see you in Louisville!

Day Four Photo Report:

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Day Four began at the Summit on 16th Methodist Church in Columbus and a service led by the Rev. April Blaine, above.  There really are no words to describe the warmth and depth of the embrace with which the Summit on 16th church receives the CIW and the Campaign for Fair Food whenever we are in Columbus, except to say that their diverse and loving community has become our Immokalee in Ohio, our home a thousand miles away from home.

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From the morning service we assembled at Columbus’ Goodale Park, where we gathered our art, our thoughts, and our strength for…

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… the 3-mile trek through the city that turned the streets of Columbus into a Fair Food festival for the next three hours!

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From longtime veterans of the fight for Fair Food….

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… to the newest recruits…

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… the marchers shared their indomitable spirit — the joy of fighting for, and winning, long-denied fundamental human rights —  with the people of Columbus…

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… and the people of Columbus couldn’t help but respond in kind…

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… over…

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… and over again!

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From here out we’ll let the people and the art of yesterday’s march do their own talking…

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… because that’s really all you need to know about Day Four of the Workers’ Voice Tour!

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No update from the Columbus march would be complete without a special thanks to Olmeca (above), the California-based hip-hop artist and activist who has been on the front lines of the battle for Fair Food since the earliest days of the Taco Bell boycott and who, as he has every year since, joined us again this year to lend his voice to our annual action.  We have grown up together over these many years, and his words, his sound, his heart, and his undying belief that a better world is possible make up an indelible part of the soul of the Fair Food movement. 

And to wrap up our report from Day Four, here is the bonus video from Columbus’s enthusiastic welcome for the Workers’ Voice Tour and the fiesta that followed!

Next stop: Louisville!