Free and open to all!

There is more interest in food these days than ever, yet there is very little interest in the hands that pick it. Farmworkers, the foundation of our fresh food industry, are routinely abused and robbed of wages. In extreme cases they can be beaten, sexually harassed or even enslaved – all within the borders of the United States.

In this exposé, an intrepid group of Florida farmworkers battle to defeat the $4 trillion global supermarket industry through their Fair Food program, which partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm laborers in the United States.

Food Chains reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food and supermarkets. Fast food is big, but supermarkets are bigger – earning $4 trillion globally. They have tremendous power over the agricultural system. Over the past 3 decades they have drained revenue from their supply chain leaving farmworkers in poverty and forced to work under subhuman conditions. Yet many take no responsibility for this.

The narrative of the film focuses on an intrepid and highly lauded group of tomato pickers from Southern Florida – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or CIW – an ILRF ally in the Food Chain Workers Alliance. Their story is one of hope and promise for the triumph of morality over corporate greed – to ensure a dignified life for farm workers and a more humane, transparent food chain.
2014, US, 83m, directed by Sanjay Rawal

Presented by the DC Labor Film Festival; co-sponsored by ILRF, the Greater Washington Immigration Film Festival and the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) of DC.

Bread & Roses is a monthly labor series that features a variety of events focused on workers and organized labor. Each month brings a new topic through interactive discussions, film screenings, and performances. The hope for these events is that attendees walk away with a greater understanding of organized labor, its role in shaping history and current relevance. The name "Bread & Roses" was inspired by a poem/song written by James Oppenheim that appeals for both fair wages and dignified conditions.

Bread & Roses is held on the second Tuesday of every month at Busboys and Poets, Takoma