The retreat was a major success, and we look forward to some amazing work with all of our students in the upcoming ’09-’10 school year!

- Steve

(This is from a vigil that took place on Tuesday, July 21st, celebrating the life of Agustin Gudino, a farm worker who died four years ago because of a lack of shade and water out in the farms)

As we stood under the oppressive heat, for the first time, I felt as if the sun was physically pressing on my chest and shoulders. In my mind, I cursed its debilitating effects! Then, I realized, I was given but a glimpse of an agonizing film detailing the pain Agustin Gudino suffered when his body succumbed to the weight of the sun’s pressure.

It was amazing to see the role that clergy and others played in the vigil. As MC, Rev. Frank Alton delivered such fluid transitions, one would have thought he practiced endlessly in front of a mirror! CLUE summer intern, Nina Fernando, wrote and performed Agustin’s eulogy in the form of a song. She highlighted and, therefore, dramatized an emotional rendition of the circumstances of Agustin’s work conditions that left him feeling silenced and invisible to those around him. Rev. Dan Gibson led a solemn moment of silence to remember Agustin’s life as CLUE organizer, Steve Holt, held a thurible that released the smell of incense into the humid air. Rev. Gibson’s words helped achieve the tone and atmosphere CLUE staff were hoping to create. Rev. Elizabeth Gibbs-Zehnder and Pastor Bridie Roberts helped set a reverent yet resolute remembrance of the other 14 farm workers that have died in the field of California due to heat exhaustion. Friends continued to approach me after the vigil to praise the duet of Loaves and Fishes sung by Rev. David Farley and Jonathon (a young boy from Rev. Farley’s congregation). What a powerful image it gave birth to! Rev. Frank Wulf and Rev. Daisy Ho took turns reciting the “Prayer of the Faithful.” Their connection to the words was not glanced over! Their words helped the crowd develop a mental picture of what the reality we are hoping for looks like! Rev. Sandie Richards spoke with such conviction that my eyes welled up as she delivered the Call to Continue in the Struggle. It was obvious that her heartfelt words were the product of a deep personal connection to Sr. Gudino’s story, achieved only through concentrated, deliberate contemplation. Rabbi Jonathon Klein spoke with words that inspired members of the crowd to look toward the future with hopeful eyes and compassionate hearts! The vigil would not have been complete without the Farm Worker’s song, De Colores!

Smiling,

Lydia Brown

CLUE summer intern

P.S. For anyone who’s interested, there will be another vigil for the farmworkers, next Tuesday, July 28th. This is the last (and the largest!) of 15 vigils that the National Farm Worker Ministry has put together over the summer to celebrate and lift up the lives of those who have died in the fields. For more information, feel free to contact Lydia at lydiabrown@cluela.org. And, if you want to see some more pictures:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=e6f0d532b5abc284&sid=0AbtG7Vo5aNmT0o

Once inside, we were treated to a nice lunch, heard Mr. Smith speak, and then the real showdown began with the Q&A session. It was interesting how FedEx Execs and upper end employees occupied ¾ of the room while high schools and the general public filled the spots left in the back of the room. Many of the questions directed at Mr. Smith were designed to kiss his butt. Questions like, “How can we become as successful in business as you?” and “Does President Obama know how much he needs you?” Gagging, I raised my hand to see if I could ask a question of my own, and surprisingly, the microphone came to me.

I basically said that I’m a student studying economic and social issues in downtown LA and I’ve recently become aware of the Blue Ribbon Commission hearing held here in December that focused on keeping FedEx workers in the middle class. I asked Smith if he’d be willing to read the final report (which contains a number of recommendations that would aid the workforce in maintaining a middle class life) and if he’d be willing to engage in meaningful dialogue with them regarding the recommendations.

And then came the lame excuse that he couldn’t hear me, even though the microphone was working fine, my voice was steady, and the room was dead silent. And I found it interesting that he’d heard many of the others butt-kissing questions that had been asked from further away in the room without a microphone. Fascinating. I do believe Mr. Smith has an uncontrollable case of selective hearing. But afterwards came the reply I’d been waiting for, “I can’t promise you that I personally will engage on it, but if you want to e-mail me something and have us look at it, we’ll certainly consider it.”

Email? Really? That’ll sure get things done. Thanks, Mr. Smith. But please be expecting an email or two or maybe a few hundred from me in the next few weeks. But enough about Mr. Smith. I was still in awe that I had just called out one of the world’s most wealthy and powerful people. And he didn’t have the dignity to respond with a straightforward answer. Even though the people around my table just shook their heads at me disapprovingly and the mic lady stormed off afterwards, I was happy. It was an exhilarating feeling, and I can’t wait to see what other exciting things will come my way with this internship at CLUE.

-Alicia

For more information about the event, read the Teamsters’ press release here.

Marching for justice!

Hundreds of students, community and union members came together on February 5th to support the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). The 10 mile march from the County Fed building in LA to Westwood took seven hours but the marchers never gave up, despite the pouring rain, fierce wind, and honking rubber-neckers. Although we were just a teeeeeny bit sore afterwards, it was totally worth it to know that we’d been marching in solidarity with great people for a great cause.

-Alicia

For more info on the march, check out the USC Daily Trojan’s article here.