React Magazine

ACTRECentral Florida’s Activism Magazine

The 10 year campaign for better working conditions in Florida’s fields

The Fight For Fair Food

United We Dream Tampa Bay

5 Tips to build leadership

May 2012, Issue I

The Clean Zoneand the RNC

ACTRECentral Florida’s Activism Magazine

Publisher Paola Everett

Editor in ChiefPaola Everett

Creative DirectorPaola Everett

Editorial DirectorPaola Everett

Layout MangagerPaola Everett

WritersPaola Everett

Contributing writerMarisol Marquez

Contributing PhotographerMarisol Marquez

Phone 727.698.4676Fax 727.385.4982

PO Box 2053, St. Petersburg, Fl 33716

www.ReactMag.com

Get in touch with us...React Magazine is always in

search of new active organiza-tions and actions to feature. If

you have any ideas, comments of suggestions please share with us.

[email protected]

React Magazine is aimed to serve local activists and organizers

within Florida’s Central Region.

On our cover...As our first cover, we wanted to feature an organization who took Florida by storm with it’s organizing skills and it’s moving campaign. The Coalition of Imo-kalee Workers held it’s biggest annual action infront of Publix’s headquaters in Lakeland, Fl. The campaign, which has attracted supporters from all over the United States, has also began a contro-versy on why target Publix. Read more on page 11.

Photo by Paola Everett

5 United We Dream: Tampa Bay

7 The Clean Zone

11 Fast for Fair Food

16 Bill Analysis

18 Building Leaders

Celebrating their first active year, UWD Tampa bay continues to give support to undocumented students in the bay area.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers finish a six-day fast with the com-pany of the Kennedy family. Learn more about the 10-year campaign for fair food.

Organizing is also knowing when to give the work to others. Learn how to lighten the load to make your organization stronger.

Tampa will be hosting Republican National Convention this election year. Among all the arrangements being made, a new coalition forms to protest within the Clean Zone.

Features

Speak Out

Stars & Arms Act vs. Dream Act. A Bill analysis by contributor writer and local activits, Marisol Marquez

Organizing

Welcome to the first issue of React, Central Florida’s activism magazine. Inside you will find articles on current campaigns and ac-

tions, updates on bill proposals, as well as organizing tips and tricks. React is aimed to inform activists and organizers. Two years ago on May 1, hundreds of buses left to the nation’s capital to demand a comprehensive immigra-tion reform. This was the biggest action where I was able to witness not only immigration activists come together, but human rights activists from all over the country. It not only changed my life, it altered my career path and connected me to a network of organizations in the Tampa Bay area working towards equal rights among immigrants. In this first issue I wanted to highlight new organi-zations like United We Dream Tampa Bay as well as create a spot for more opinionated writers to have a chance to “Speak Out.” I want to not only update organizations on what is happning in this region, but share some techniques to organizeRead on and enjoy.

EDITORLetter from the

3 React Central Florida’s Activism Magazine

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www.earthday.org


Tired of living in the shadows, two undoc-umented students open a local branch

of the national organization United We Dream. Based out of Dover, FL, United We Dream Tampa Bay has gath-ered members from all over the Tampa Bay area in their first active year.

UWD currently focuses in advocating towards the Dream Act, an Bill that has been proposed and shut down multiple times since 2001. The bill that was last proposed last year would allow undocu-mented students who entered the United States before the age of 16, graduated from an American high school and have

no criminal record, a chance at legal residency. “We wanted other undocu-mented students to know they are not alone,” Nanci Palacios, co-founder of UWD said. Palacios graduated with a 5.6 GPA and attended Hillsbor-ough Community College until earlier this semester she was asked to graduate. Even

UNITED WEDREAMTampa Bay

By Paola Everett

6Volume 1, Issue 1

Tampa Bay

United We Dream Tampa Bay members are a mix of undocumented students and allies.

after meeting the requirements for graduation, Palacios has not graduated or transferred because of her immigration sta-tus. Few colleges or universities accept undocumented students and those who do require them to pay out-of-state fees. But the education barrier for undocumented students does not start in college; many stu-dents are discouraged to con-tinue studying knowing most universities won’t accept them, they cannot receive financial aid

and if admitted must deal with the additional fees.. “I was in seventh grade when it hit me. I was going to work my butt off and it wouldn’t matter to anybody.” Cruz said. UWD Tampa Bay is now visiting high schools around the Tampa Bay area to inform students and guidance coun-selors on how to help students who find themselves in similar situations. Paul Chorney, academic coun-selor at Northeast High School, said they guidance counselors currently don’t get special train-ing on how to help undocu-mented students. “I’ve never had a workshop that talked specifically about this situations,” Chorney said. “It’s a behind-closed-doors type of deal.” UWD Tampa Bay also provide

assistance with the application process and are working on a scholarship to help some stu-dents financially. UWD Tampa Bay spends most of it’s time creating a safe environment for students to ask for help and emotional support. “Besides the fact that we are denied a higher education, basic needs like an ID; it really takes a toll on our mental health,” Cruz said. “We are living in fear, feel-ing alone. It’s a lot more than the surface everybody sees.”

UWD Tampa Bay member and aspiring lawyer, Jose Godinez-Samperio, has re-cently been seen on the news after announcing that he too is undocumented. Being the first undocumented student to successfully complete law school, he is an inspiration to many other students in the same situation. Samperio’s story has been picked up by dif-ferent media outlets, including USA Today who posted a poll online asking whether or not he should be admitted to the Bar. Out of 5605 votes, 67% voted no, 33% voted yes. The deci-sion will decided in court in the upcoming months. UWD is currently working on a national action on May 7th to encourage other undocumented students to stand up and tell their story.

“We know there are more undocumented students out there. We want them to know

they are not alone.”- Jacky Cruz”


Every four years presidential candidates are selected for both the Republican and Democratic Parties. This year from August 27th - 30th Tampa, Florida will be hosting the Republican National Convention! The Coalition to March on the RNC consists of over 35 student, labor, immi-grant, women and LGBTQ rights groups from the State of Florida and across the

The “clean zone”“We have the right to protest within sight and sound of the convention, and we will not be caged like animals!” -Tom Burke

By Marisol Marquez

{ }Left to right:Fernando Figueroa, Skye Schmelzer and Jared Hamil

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nation. Among the endorsing groups are Students for a Dem-ocratic Society, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and even the Coalition to Protest at the DNC. Work started for the Coalition to March on the RNC in Janu-ary of this year, when the Coali-tion applied for permits. “We will continue with our march on the RNC whether we have our permits granted or not!” says Jared Hamil an activist and organizer for the Coalition. “Monday, August 27th, is the time to advance the cause of justice and make our voices heard. Tampa, Florida is the place for all of us to raise our demands. Whether you are working to defend reproductive rights, standing up against at-tacks on immigrants and racist discrimination, resisting attacks on working people, or saying, ‘No’ to government cutbacks, we can come together from across the country to let our voices be heard.” “The Coalition is here to demand five things!”, says Fer-nando Figueroa from Gaines-ville, Florida. He is an activist, organizer for the Coalition and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We de-mand: good jobs, healthcare, af-fordable education, equality and peace!” The first, direct attack against the movement to protest the RNC was in March 2012 when Tampa City Mayor Bob Buck-horn proposed the “Clean Zone Ordinance”. The “Clean Zone” will close-off a 6 square mile area where it will restrict where,

how and for how long people can protest. It also calls for a restriction of certain items like: water guns, 7” string pieces and any type of mask. “The ‘Clean Zone’ is mak-ing us protesters seem like we’re all dirty. When the actual thing to cleanse are the dirty politics happening inside of the Con-vention Center”, says Corey Uhl an activist, organizer for the Coalition to March on the RNC and member of Uni-versity of South Florida’s Students for a Democratic Society.On May 3rd Tampa City Council Members will be deciding whether they will pass the proposed “Clean Zone” or sim-ply rename it. “The Coalition to March on the RNC and its endorsing members will be there to say, ‘No’ to the ‘Clean Zone’ and oppression of RNC protest-ers!” says Tom Burke, activist and organizer with the 2008 Co-alition to March on the RNC in St. Paul, MN and victim of FBI repression. He is one of the 23 activists involved with the 2008 protest of the RNC who were raided by the FBI and subpoe-naed for a grand jury investiga-tion for their involvement with voicing against the injustices and wars brought on by the Re-publicans. “We have the right to protest within sight and sound of the convention, and we will not be caged like animals!”

“The ‘Clean Zone’ is mak-ing us protesters seem like we’re all dirty. When the actual thing to cleanse are the dirty politics happening inside of the Convention Center” Corey Uhl

”

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2 React Central Florida’s Activism Magazine11 React Central Florida’s Activism Magazine

CIWFast for Fair Food

CIW3Volume 1, Issue 1 12

With a piece of bread in hand, over 60 farm workers and al-

lies broke the six-day Fast for Fair Food on March 24. The fast was the most severe action the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has taken since

the 30-day fast targeting Taco Bell in 2005. The Fair Food campaign targeting fast-food and supermarket giants began in 2001. Eleven years after and 10 corporations already on board has put Publix on the spotlight raising two questions: what is it going to take for Publix to sign?

And what does Publix have to do with this in the first place? The Kennedy family made their presence and support be known be leading the 3-mile procession that lead to the ceremony where Ethel Kennedy, Robert F. Ken-nedy’s widow, broke the fast as she did during Cesar Chavez’

1. Left to right: Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Ethel Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy. 2. Jose Jose 3. Faster holds his piece of bread afte 6 days of fasting.

More than 60 farmworkers and allies fast in front of Publix’s headquaters in Lakeland. By Paola Everett


fast for farm worker rights on 1968. Kerry Kennedy stood before the supporters asking the Jen-kins family, owners of the su-permarket chain, and asked them to meet with the coalition to come to an agreement. “Your family can help bring jus-tice to the farm workers,” Kerry Kennedy said.The fast, strategically organized on the 44th anniversary of Chavez’ fast, gathered much ex-pected attention from the com-munity, and other worker rights activist like Latin music icon, Jose Jose. However, Publix has yet to accept the CIW’s request to discuss their Fair Food agree-ment stating, and has been very clear that they have no intention on meeting with the CIW. Although support fast been quickly growing as the CIW spreads awareness around the US, so has the controversy on why Publix. The answer is all in the pyramid of power in which the farm workers are located on the bottom and corporations

are on top. Originally the coalition target-ed farm owners to fix the low wages and atrocities happening in Florida’s farm fields. Many farms agreed that wages are low, but argued that the price is not set by them, but by the market,

something the corporations have the power to influence. In a released statement, during the 2010 Do the Right Thing

Tour, Publix stated that “If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business.” Since then, very little has changed and the CIW has organized dozens of rallies at the Lakeland head-quarters and store openings.Publix is a proud supporter of Fair Trade and understands the market price is not always right which is why they started their own brand, Greenwise, focused on the same values and de-mands of the CIW’s Fair Food agreement. As stated on the la-bel, “Fair trade prices help small farmers provide employees with livable wages and work condi-tions. Which fosters the same values we do: community, well-being, and a nicer world.” According to the CIW, farm workers currently get paid 40-50 cents per 32 pounds of toma-toes. The penny per more agree-ment would almost double they wages which haven’t increased in 30 years because of the stag-nant market price. In a recent poll done by Chan-nel 10, 62% of viewers said

14Volume 1, Issue 1

Farmworkers cheer after their six day fast for better working conditions.

Publix spokesman confronts protestors outside the store.

“One day you will tell your children and grandchil-dren, ‘I did this. I was there at the point of difficulty and danger.’”

Kerry Kennedy

”


they would pay a penny more per pound if it meant the farm workers were paid better wages. Along with the penny per pound, the fair food agreement would require corporations to do their part in stopping mod-ern-day slavery by agreeing to not purchase from farms who have reports of abuse in the work field. The CIW’s campaign to stop modern day slavery has already freed over a thousand The Anti-Slavery Campaign has resulted in freedom for more than a thousand tomato and orange pickers . The most recent case being in 2010, US vs. Global Horizons, a corpora-tion accused of holding workers against their will. Prosecutors

called the case “the largest hu-man trafficking case in U.S. his-tory.”

• Penny-per-Pound Premium: Pay the penny-per-pound pre-mium to help raise pickers’ wages above poverty level.• Participatory Code of Conduct: Adopt the same code of conduct for their tomato suppliers that other retail leaders have accepted, a code that was developed and implemented with worker participation.• Humane Purchasing Policies: Commit to buying tomatoes from suppliers who agree to abide by that code of conduct.

CIW Fair Food Agreement

Ethel Kennedy and daughter, Kerri Kennedy break the first piece of bread to break the six-day fast.

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Help us, help them.

9099 130th Ave North Largo, FLwww.spcatampabay.org

Undocumented Youth in America are pissed. With blatant attacks on undocu-mented students and the rise of deportations, they have all the right to be! The horrifying case of Daniela Pelaez in 2012 alone, created a drafting of the newly proposed STARS Act. Daniela Pelaez is the18 year old Valedictorian from Miami Dade High School with a 6.7 GPA who was going to be deported

to her native Colombia. March 28th would have marked her deportation date but instead because of direct action from her classmates and the staff of Miami Dade High, Pelaez has not been deported and her stay has been extended to two more years. So what exactly is the STARS Act? Studying Towards Adjusted Residency Status or STARS Act would allow high

school graduates accepted into college the chance to stay in the U.S. for up to 10 years. The first five would be to go to college then upon graduating; they would have to continue display-ing “good moral conduct” for another five years. After these 10 years, they are eligible to submit an application for full citizenship. To be eligible the student has to be under the age of 18, lived in the U.S. for

STARSARMS DREAM

Acts

SPEAK OUT

A bill analysis of the Stars, Arms Act & DREAM Act By Marisol Marquez

So many Acts, not enough ACTION.


at least five years, and shown “good moral conduct” for 10 years. Spot the problems? If not, let us then analyze the ARMS Act. Proposed by U.S. Repre-sentative of Florida (and part of the Republican Party) Diego Rivera, the ARMS Act excludes anyone who arrived in the U.S. after age 16. The undocu-mented youth must enlist in the United States Armed Forces, then he or she is “granted” five years of “conditional status” during which: he or she must have served at least two years on active duty, not received government assistance and has continued demonstrating “good moral conduct”. After these five years, the youth is then able to file an application to have their status changed to permanent resident. The DREAM Act must come into question. The Develop-ment, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act, includes the insulting

term “Alien”. First proposed in 2001 by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch, the bill attempts to grant U.S. Citizenship to “illegal aliens” of “good moral character”. During military enlistment, the undocumented youth must accept an 8-year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years…all while remaining a person of “good moral character”. Keep in mind the youth cannot be dishonor-ably discharged or have their permanent resident status terminated because then the youth will return to immigra-tion status. All three acts have serious is-sues. First, nowhere in the acts is “good moral character” or “good moral conduct” defined; many undocumented students are ineligible to be considered for these acts; and none solve the issue of the ridiculous price charged to undocumented people when they submit a simple application for perma-

nent residency status or U.S. Citizenship. While the drafting of all three acts is a major win in the history of undocumented youth as well as undocumented people in America, there are serious issues with the acts. Both the DREAM and ARMS Acts must do away with their military service requirements and all acts should have a com-munity service alternative to college. Growing sentiments by right-wingers has been to keep working towards the movement of excluding undocumented youth from public schooling. The majority of undocumented youth are working-class and many do not have the opportu-nity to attend college. Attacks on students and public colleges continue with the cutting of classes, programs and admis-sions while raising fees; making the dream of a college educa-tion even more distant.

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ACTION.

Volume 1, Issue 1


Organizing

Every organization has its core leaders, but even the best leaders get worn out. The result of this is a weaker organization that can have bigger consequences such as losing members, missing op-portunities and over-looking your own mission. An efficient leader should

only be responsible for about 10 people before that person is overwhelmed. It’s not only up to the organizer, but the amount of time that one person should be spending with the rest of the group in order to maintain a strong connection limits the quantity of members one per-son should be responsible for. However, this method should

be used to help with recruit-ment. After the 10 members per leader are established, those 10 members should recruit around three additional members to mentor and be responsible for. This snow flake effect will en-

courage leadership in your orga-nization while adding continu-ous new members. Always remember an organiza-

tion is like family and building relationships is just as important as doing the work.

Don’t carry all the weight, encourage leadership with these 5 tips

your organizers

By Paola Everett

Jacky Cruz (left) and Nanci Palacios (right) founders of United We Dream Tampa Bay will celebrate their first year as core leaders for UWDTB.

One on OnesTry finishing a meeting with some one on ones. Take a member to the side and find out more about them. This will allow you to know what their organizing strengths are for furute actions.1.

2.3.4.5.

Pass the Ball Let other people step up and help. An organiza-tion should be able to run on it’s own. even if you are not there.

Blog time!Create a team to deal with social media and blogs. Blogging is such a great way to spread the word, recruit & encourage members to share their stories.

Conference CallsThis is a great tool to organize no matter where you are. Don’t be afraid to assign roles to mem-bers who live outside your city limits.

RelaxSet time aside to see members out side of the or-ganization. Build friendships, the more comfort-able your team is with eachother the more likely to stay.

Volume 1, Issue 1 19

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