Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Immokalee, Florida
During the funding period, we investigated and helped to prosecute two more farmworker slavery cases: Evans vs. United States (2007) and Navarrete vs. United States (2008). The vital role played by the radio (Conciencia ) in our anti-slavery work is mentioned in The Slave Next Door, a book released in June by Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter. In 2007, we were selected for the London-based Anti Slavery International Award; Radio Conciencia was rightly highlighted in their description of why our antislavery campaign has been so effective.
– Coalition of Immokalee Workers member
In mid-2007 SDOP partnered with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers by awarding the organization a grant for $21, 200 to enable group members to engage in a new community center project. As part of this project, the group has been able to use the SDOP grant to continue to run a radio station called “Consciousness Radio” or “Radio Conciencia” on 107.9FM. There is a constant stream of new people moving into Immokalee, a farm workers community in Southwest Florida. Most of these people are recent immigrants for whom English is a second language so they speak little or no English. According to Coalition of Immokalee Workers, commercial radio does not provide a voice in the indigenous languages spoken by the farm worker community or address issues that impact on this community such as human rights abuses. Radio Conciencia addresses these issues. According to the group, when Hurricane Wilma hit, Radio Consciousness was able to alert everyone in their indigenous languages (Zapoteco and Mixteco spoken in Mexico, Mam and Kanjobal spoken in Guatamala, Haitian Creole and Spanish) of the impending danger and coalition members went to transport people from their homes to shelters since most people do not have cars. After the hurricane Radio Conciencia also broadcast where to obtain clean water, ice and other supplies for the farm worker community. It also suggested a plan to county commissioners and disaster relief agencies on how to distribute food and supplies and created maps for the agencies that enabled them to reorganize their distribution plans for more effective distribution of the food and supplies. Because the coalition is comprised of farm workers, it has a better sense of where these people live.
SDOP’s initial partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers dates back to 1997 when the group was awarded a $25,000 grant to assist with CIW’s community enhancement/education program.
In 2003 the Coalition of Immokalee Workers was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for its work against modern day slavery. CIW has also been involved in the Campaign for Fair Food that has included efforts led by people of faith, farm workers, students, unions and other grassroots organizations across the country to eliminate labor abuses and sweatshop conditions in Florida and other states.
