Her powerful remarks were followed by those of Florida Conference Minister, the Rev. John Vertigan, who introduced CIW’s Gerardo Reyes Chavez (who accepted the award on behalf of the Coalition) by expressing the Florida Conference’s support for the Wendy’s Boycott, which the 1-million-member-strong UCC has also endorsed.
As Gerardo Reyes Chavez took the stage to receive the award for CIW, the joy and determination that had grown from the partnership across eighteen years between CIW and the UCC electrified the room, spilling over into cheers and shouts of acclamation.
In his brief remarks, Gerardo expressed CIW’s profound thanks to the church and remembered how eighteen years ago the dream of bringing corporations to the table to realize farmworkers’ rights was still very far away. But with the support of the UCC and consumers across the nation, today fourteen corporations are using their buying power to guarantee workers’ human rights through the Fair Food Program. He encouraged the church in its support of the Wendy’s boycott in what was surely the most tweeted and retweeted phrase at the gathering saying, “suffering doesn’t need to be a part of the food we eat.” Referring to the power of the Fair Food Program’s model that has eradicated modern slavery, sexual assault and other abuses, Gerardo concluded, “We have the key to open the door to a world without victims. Let’s open it together...”
