Clinton Foundation will honor Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sept. 14 announced that their Global Initiative will present the Global Citizen Award to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers at a New York gala on Sept. 21.
The Clinton Global Initiative holds an annual meeting that coincides with the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, with the participation of more than 1,000 guests, including presidents (on this occasion, 45 former and active presidents, Barack Obama among them), executives of some of the world’s most important companies, philanthropists, artists and intellectuals, as part of the work of the Clinton Foundation.
Lucas Benítez and Gres Asbed, co-founders of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), will accept the award, granted in recognition of the innovative work performed by its Fair Food program, through which they have created a national network of clergymen, students, gastronomers and community organizations to transform the living conditions of thousands of farm workers in Florida’s tomato fields.
Some achievements
The campaign has prompted some fast-food chains, such as Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway, and supermarket chains, among them Whole Foods, to sign agreements to raise the salaries and improve the working conditions of their employees, an unprecedented struggle that is creating an alliance between workers and consumers on a national scale.
“This award is a thrilling recognition of the unprecedented progress we have made as farmworkers, and the equally remarkable transformation that the Florida tomato industry has undergone as a whole, from one of the worst workplaces in the U.S. agricultural industry to quite possibly the best,” Benítez said.
Asbed added that “this award is really going to tens of thousands of people, from our fellow CIW members who for over twenty years have refused to be treated as second-class citizens, to the consumers who heeded their call and made their own voices heard in the streets and at checkout counters across the country, to the retail food corporations who took a chance on an unproven new model for Worker-driven Social Responsibility, and to the growers, who have taken so many courageous steps out of the bitter past and toward a more modern, more humane future for Florida agriculture.”
The Global Citizen Award is presented to outstanding individuals who exemplify world citizenship through their vision, leadership and impact in dealing with global challenges, the Initiative said.
Among those who will receive the award this year is actor Leonardo DiCaprio, for his environmentalist work in the world’s oceans. Madeleine Albright and Eva Longoria will be present, among others. Music will be provided by Aloe Blacc, Natalie Merchant and The Roots.
The annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative will begin with the gala ceremony and will last four days. Speakers will include President Michelle Bachelet of Chile; Queen Rania of Jordan; actor Matt Damon; Melinda Gates (Bill’s wife), and Jim Ying Kim, president of the World Bank.
For more information about the Clinton Initiative, click here; for information about CIW, click here.
(From the: La Jornada / Translate: Progreso Weekly)
