I thank my colleague, the Reverend Allison Farnum, minister in Fort Myers, for the following expression of our faith and commitment.
A May Day Reflection: No One Is Disposable by Rev. Allison Farnum
Word on the street is that our state of Florida is becoming, once again, the place to retire. The “Boomer Boom” will welcome baby boomers to our fine state, many who are potential Unitarian Universalists we would do well to evangelize in our congregations. But recently, a communication from the AARP caught my eye. A video series the AARP produces, called
Hungry in America, features Florida retirement from a different angle. In the short video entitled “A Harvest Out of Reach: Why can’t people who harvest food get enough to eat?”, the condition of farmworkers in Florida fields is once again brought to light from a new perspective. The older workers who have been harvesting food for decades in Florida have no pension, no health care, and scant food after the physically demanding years of picking the vegetables we buy from supermarkets and restaurants. In Immokalee, many “retired” (as in, no longer picked by the farm bosses due to their age) workers rely on charity to survive. One of the men interviewed, age 74, says he is treated “like a piece of garbage.” In a throw away society, are workers disposable? to be used up and cast aside? Are people to rely solely on charity while systemic injustice continues?
Our faith says something different. From our Universalist roots, humans are of supreme worth, endowed with the power of Love. No human is disposable. Our ever-evolving faith tradition is one that yearns for social justice that produces systemic change, not just short-term acts of charity. I have been blessed to have the opportunity to live my Unitarian Universalist faith in my ally relationship with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, working for systemic change that will bring dignity and justice to Florida fields.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers invites us to watch the video, and “…add the abandonment and degradation of older farmworkers to the bigger picture of exploitation behind the fruit and vegetables you buy in the bright, clean produce aisles of companies like Publix, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe’s, and WalMart.”
My heart sings when I see some of our own retired faithful gathering in solidarity with the Coalition at Publix pickets and rallies in Lakeland and Tampa. Thank you for your continued support in working towards Florida being a place where all people can retire from work with dignity. Our faith tells us: No one is disposable.
Rev. Allison also calls our attention to the short film, Disposable Workers released by the AARP. The film traces the plight of “retired” farmworkers, those who have given their youth and their health to the agriculture industry. This six-minute video follows men from Immokalee, Florida, who, after several decades in the fields, can no longer work at the pace necessary to be hired for the harvest. Hence, they are “retired,” considered redundant, unemployable. Does that mean they are worthless?
Rev. Kenn
