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NEWS & LETTERS, October 2002

Boot the Bell!

Memphis, Tenn.--Taco Bell is the biggest buyer of tomato grower Six L's tomatoes, harvested by Florida workers at the dismal rate of 40 cents per 32-pound bucket. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers wants to negotiate with Taco Bell to end the inhumane conditions in the tomato fields of Immokalee, Fla. Taco Bell has not responded, so the CIW has asked consumers to boycott Taco Bell.

One important part of this is the Student Farmworker Alliance (SFA), an organization committed to educating college students about workers' rights and to "booting the Bell" from college campuses. The University of Memphis is one such campus—but not much longer!

News and Letters, the Women's Action Coalition, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, University of Memphis students, and Memphis-area activists began our campaign to "Boot the Bell" on Friday, Sept. 13. Ten demonstrators protested in front of the cafeteria. We distributed leaflets and engaged in dialogues with students.

Friday also marked the Memphis debut of Taco Sin Miedo, a taco-shaped puppet which is touring the country in support of the Immokalee workers. Our demonstration was wildly successful, and we hope to continue at the rate of one protest per week.

If you are a student at a school with a cafeteria contracted by Aramark and a campus Taco Bell, take the following steps to Boot the Bell:

  • Arrange a meeting with an administrator and an Aramark representative. Explain your position, and ask them to remove Taco Bell from your cafeteria.

  • Organize a boycott and demonstrations at your Taco Bell. Get administrative clearance—if you attend a public college or university, your school must allow you to demonstrate, but they may have regulations.

  • Start a petition drive.

  • Have a teach-in. The CIW has a video and other resources that will aid you in this endeavor.

--Amy Garrison

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