The Current

Advocacy News + Updates

The first meetings that led to the formation of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers took place in a church basement.  And ever since the CIW’s inception in the mid-1990s, men and women motivated by their faith have raised strong voices  calling for justice and freedom for farmworkers in Florida’s tomato fields.  This week, we want to share resources provided by some of the people and congregations in this work as a response to God’s call “to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke.”

  • Read an article written by IJM’s Field Organizer Seth Wispelwey reflecting on the biblical way of prayer and fasting for GENERATE magazine. He shares about a group of people who chose to fast during the 2012 Lenten season as they advocated Publix to join the Fair Food Program. 
  • Read about the experience of an IJM advocate whose church visited Immokalee, FL. See how her eyes were opened to modern-day slavery right here at home: Slavery in My Own Backyard?
  • Faith Moves Mountains (FMM) is the spiritual resource and advocacy campaign of the Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida coalition, located right in Immokalee, FL. FMM supports the goals of the Campaign for Fair Food with prayer, church resources and peaceful solidarity.
  • The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been a staunch supporter of the Campaign for Fair Food since 2002.  Check out their site devoted to the issues (including Recipe for Change!) here.
  • Learn more about the issue in “Tomato Justice,” the cover story about the history, activities and hope for farmworker freedom in PRISM, the magazine of Evangelicals for Social Action.

We want to hear from you! What resources have been helpful as you or church have engaged in the fight to end modern-day slavery here at home? Join the conversation on Facebook and add a comment or share a story. 


Justice Campaigns mobilizes people around the country in support of U.S. policies that will lead to the abolition of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Join us this summer for Recipe for Change, as we campaign for guaranteed slave-free tomatoes.