It may’ve taken longer than we had hoped to bring you this article. But, it is here now… a quick summary of April 18th, 2009, a.k.a. the Bmore Fair and The Human Rights Zone March. We, at Baltimore’s Indypendent Reader, fully support The United Workers campaign and hope to give this story better coverage in the future.
---
Bmore Fair
By: John Ellis (one of the “cycling activists” at the day’s events)
Activists, faith leaders, and community members alike joined together on April 18th at Carroll Park to kick off the B’More Fair, a community-organizing celebration and festival. The United Workers Association (UWA), starting in 2002, has worked to organize low-wage labor in a fight against poverty. The fair, which was organized by the UWA, brought together many exciting and dedicated organizations, including the Baltimore Algebra Project, Media Mobilizing Project, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.
At the fair, tables were set up to share information and discuss with fellow fair-goers the potentials of community organizing. The festival allowed for groups to find out more about each other, learn from others' experiences organizing in Baltimore, and build solidarity. Carroll Park was well chosen as the event site.
The fair was well-attended. The two live music stages, various food vendors, and a Kid’s Zone, hosted by Kids for Peace, made the event lively. Local mainstays such as Baltimore's Indypendent Reader, Red Emma’s, and Participation Park (a local, urban community garden) made the event feel more like a sunny day spent with friends and less like a heavy-handed political action. The Prometheus Radio Project broad-casted live from the event, on low power FM radio. The featured interviews and music could be heard on portable radios throughout the park. Handmade spring rolls were a crowd favorite, in addition to puppet-making and sign-painting. The B'More Fair was a family, friend, and community affair. It brought the politics out of dreams and made them into an enjoyable, welcoming, and warm day with one another. Groups still spoke about their missions. Radical songs were still sung. Yet, everything was done with a sense of celebration and the feel of determination. Activists spent the day strengthening connections.
Keep in mind, it wasn’t all fun and games. The B’More Fair and the Human Rights Zone March, conceived by the UWA, wasn't developed to be simply a festival. Its purpose was to raise awareness about low-wage work environments. Events and music gave way to speeches by the organizers of the fair. Then came an organizing rally on the main stage in preparation for the Human Rights Zone March. Marchers donned UWA yellow and black shirts, with a portrait of Harriet Tubman and the word “LEAD” prominently placed on the front of the t-shirt. Everyone began to march out of Carroll Park and down Washington Blvd. toward central downtown Baltimore.
Marching attendees shouted phrases like,“Whose City? Our City!” and “Whose Streets? Our Streets!” from the street. Passers-by waved to the marchers from cars and row-home steps. Baltimore’s own Barrage Band kept time and helped lead the march.They were jubilantly followed by painted signs and puppets. Cycling marchers stopped traffic and temporarily closed streets. They rode ahead to warn drivers that the march was approaching.
The march kept on down many streets. It only paused to break at City Hall; where speeches commenced as marchers rested their feet.
The Harbor was well-populated by a cheerleading convention. This convention brought thousands of out- of-town visitors to a specific spot in Baltimore - a spot that, on that day, was the focus of a mass, grassroots, organized action. The out-of-towners conceivably got a different taste of Baltimore than they were expecting. While at General Sam Smith Park, adjacent to the Harbor and close to the outdoor amphitheater, the UWA announced its first target, Philips Seafood, along with specific demands.
The Bmore Fair and The Human Rights Zone March followed a similar action that occurred on March 6, 2009. On that date, the UWA, alongside low-wage workers from the Inner Harbor, Baltimore’s historic seaport and modern tourist destination, announced their intentions to end poverty at the profitable waterfront location. On this date the companies that were announced as two of the three worst employers were M&S Grill and the Cheesecake Factory. Phillips Seafood was given the title of "the Inner Harbor's worst employer" in the final minutes of The Human Rights Zone March. All three earned these titles from giving their workers poverty wages and harassing them in despicable ways.
After the announcement was made, there was little left to be done but to part ways, and to begin the promised campaign. The march was thrilling and made a statement. Roads were shut down, not from allowed permits, but from people stepping up and taking a stand. Inch by inch down Baltimore's streets a proclamation was made: equality is something that everyone has a right to; and if it isn't given to them, well, then the people will take it. The march was the beginning of what promises to be an extremely long campaign. In reality the march towards fair wages and treatment has only just begun.
The Bmore Fair and The Human Rights Zone March were just the beginning. The UWA is working hard at their campaign against these three businesses. Baltimore’s Indypendent Reader may’ve taken awhile to bring you this quick summary of the day’s events, but we hope you’ll stick with us as we follow the campaign more closely in days to come.
For more details on the Bmore Fair and the March, please visit:
http://b-morefair.blogspot.com/ and http://unitedworkers.org/
