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Professor Susan Marquis, in Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Envisioned and led by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Fair Food Program is transforming agriculture, ending the endemic abuse on farms across the U.S. and, increasingly, around the globe. When this groundbreaking program was still a bold but untested idea in the early 2000s, Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center brought expertise in conflict resolution and Carter’s prestige to the farmworkers’ campaign for human rights.”
Decades-long relationship began in 1997 with the former President’s public intervention in the CIW’s month-long hunger strike, continued through birth of Fair Food Program and growth of WSR model, carried over into support for CIW’s anti-slavery efforts
Today’s world of extreme political radicalization, social media-fueled division, and unprecedented norm-bending behavior on the part of our political leaders is unlike anything in our country’s collective living memory. Today’s is not a political climate kind to traditionalists, nor men and women of high character. And, indeed, in the waning years of his century of life on this planet, with each passing day it became increasingly clear that President Jimmy Carter was not a man for our current political season. In that way, his death late last month seemed — as did most everything about his public life — like a graceful exit from a stage that had long ago grown too undignified for a man of his mettle.
Sadly, from where we stand today, it seems a nearly impossible task to find our way back to the world of honesty, integrity, and respect for fundamental human rights that defined President Carter’s all-too-brief time in the spotlight. But a recent op/ed by Princeton University’s Professor Susan Marquis about President Carter’s decades-long support for — and critical involvement in — the CIW’s struggle to claim and enforce human rights in the fields casts a much-needed light on a path marked by consciousness and commitment that led to unparalleled change, and that just might provide a roadmap to a more decent, more humane politics for leaders in this country who are looking for a way out of today’s current nightmare.
Here below is an excerpt of the op/ed. It is an excellent telling of a little-known history and reflection on a man whose life and work stand in stark contrast to our turbulent political universe today. To read the op/ed in full, click "Read More" below.
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Carter’s lesser-known but important post-presidency achievement
The Fair Food Program is transforming agriculture across the U.S. and the globe.
By Susan L. Marquis
With President Jimmy Carter’s death, we’ve been reminded of the successes and failures of his presidency and remarkable post-presidency. Less attention has been given to what will be Carter’s continuing legacy through the work of The Carter Center [[link removed]] , including the critical supporting role it played in what has become “one of the greatest human rights successes of our day.” [[link removed]]
Envisioned and led by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Fair Food Program [[link removed]] is transforming agriculture, ending the endemic abuse on farms across the U.S. and, increasingly, around the globe. When this groundbreaking program was still a bold but untested idea in the early 2000s, Jimmy Carter and The Carter Center brought expertise in conflict resolution and Carter’s prestige to the farmworkers’ campaign for human rights.
In the early 1990s, responding to rampant abuse still found in agricultural labor in the U.S. and international food chains, migrant farmworkers in southeastern Florida formed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Just before Christmas 1997, the CIW launched a hunger strike to shine light on abusive working conditions. The Carter Center staff raised the hunger strike and CIW’s cause to the former president’s attention, and as the hunger strike entered its fourth week, Carter came out in support of the farmworkers’ call for direct talks with the growers.
Carter’s involvement brought national awareness to the CIW’s protest and, by promising continuing engagement, enabled the farmworkers to end their hunger strike with dignity. It was the starting point of decades-long support of the CIW by The Carter Center as an institution and Jimmy Carter personally. The sincerity of his initial interest was demonstrated when, in 2003, the former president and The Carter Center moved from support to active conflict resolution and engagement.
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Coalition of Immokalee Workers
110 S 2nd St
Immokalee, FL 34142
United States
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