Fair Food Austin: "Harvest of Shame" 50th Anniversary Event

October 11, 2010

"Harvest of Shame" 50th Anniversary Event

When: Oct. 20th, 6pm
Where: St. Edwards University, Ragsdale Hall 326 C (Mabee Ballroom C)

Legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow's "Harvest of Shame" is among the most famous television documentaries of all time. Richly photographed and arrestingly poignant, this exposé on migrant farmworkers aired on CBS the day after Thanksgiving in 1960. The report resonated deeply for a nation unfamiliar with such brutally honest depictions of living conditions that, as Murrow remarks, "wrong the dignity of man."

Fifty years later, the Campaign for Fair Food is bringing fairer wages and more humane labor conditions to Florida's fields through a historic alliance of farmworkers, consumers, growers, and retail food industry leaders. While the transition to a more just Florida tomato industry is finally underway, much remains to be done to ensure a future of dignity and respect for the workers who plant and pick our nation's fruits and vegetables.

This 75-minute multimedia event will include excerpts from Harvest of Shame, as well as a presentation on the history and evolution of U.S. farm labor relations and present-day organizing efforts by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW).

Who We Are

Since 2001, Fair Food Austin has organized with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) for fair wages and dignified working conditions in the U.S. agricultural industry. The CIW is a farmworker organization headquartered in Immokalee, Florida with over 4,000 members. The CIW has aided in the prosecution by the Department of Justice of six slavery operations and the liberation of well over 1,000 workers.

We use creative methods to educate consumers about the human rights crisis farmworkers face and to promote the Campaign for Fair Food. The campaign requires large food corporations -- from Taco Bell to Whole Foods -- to demand more humane labor standards from their Florida tomato suppliers, to pay a premium price for more fairly produced tomatoes, and to buy only from growers who meet those higher standards.

Brutal conditions in Florida's fields may seem distant to consumers deep in the heart of Texas, but many of the restaurant and supermarket chains that have helped create this crisis are present in our community and buy Florida tomatoes at some point during the year. Human rights are universal, and by working together, farmworkers and consumers can create a better world.