Religious Leaders Intervene, CIW Hunger Strike Ends on Day 10

Heeding religious leaders' calls to end their fast, and vows to join the workers in their struggle, farmwokers from Immokalee and their allies ended their fast today, Wednesday, March 5 -- today was the 10th day of their fast. The hunger strikers ended their fast symbolically by breaking bread with religious leaders at an Ash Wednesday service in honor of the strikers at 10:00am at the hunger strike site outside Taco Bell headquarters.

A letter to the fasters, cc'd to Taco Bell CEO Emil Brolick, from the National Council of Churches (representing 140,000 congregations and 50 million people nationwide) reads: "We write to you now to express concern for your health and well being in the second week of your fast. You have embarked on a courageous and peaceful witness and are to be commended... Concerned that the issues behind your fast be resolved without further injury to your health, we prayerfully ask you to break your fast, coinciding with the beginning of the Lenten season... With appreciation for your sacrifice we now request that you allow the church to take on your concerns in our Lenten journey." The NCC's letter was joined by similar letters from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ.

Gerardo Reyes Chavez, also a striker and CIW member, added, “We are not at all surprised that Taco Bell refused to meet with us. In fact, we have grown accustomed to their disdain for us, despite the fact that our hard work and sacrifice make their profits possible. The same way they are able to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in their supply chain, they have been able to step over us without a second thought on their way to work during the ten days of our fast.”

Chavez continued, “So today, though our fast has ended, we are happy because -- to paraphrase Dr. King -- we have seen the coming of a better day for farmworkers. Throughout history, non-violent protest has served to reveal the true character of the oppressor, and our hunger strike has been no exception. Over the past ten days, Taco Bell has rejected pastors bearing a message of dialogue, physicians bearing a message of concern for our health, and even the mayor of Irvine, offering his support for a solution to this dispute. With each rejection, these good people felt the sting of Taco Bell’s disdain, the sting we have felt for nearly two years now. And with each rejection, we have gained new allies, allies that will help us win our fight sooner and finally enjoy a fair wage for our labor. So though our fast has ended, today our boycott is stronger than ever.”