Photo by Gustavo ArellanoCatholics abstain from food on Ash Wednesday as penance for their sins, but for Romeo Ramírez, the beginning of Lent meant he could finally grub. The native Guatemalan and 29 fellow tomato pickers—all members of the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)—broke a 10-day fast on March 5, staging a Last Supper-like breaking of bread in front of Taco Bell's Irvine headquarters.
The CIW spent the past two weeks in front of the building seeking a meeting with company officials; the hunger strike was a last-ditch effort to draw attention to the year-long boycott against the multinational corporation. Ramírez and his co-workers want Taco Bell to stop the exploitative labor practices CIW members—all Mexican, Guatemalan and Haitian immigrants—endure at the hands of Florida growers from whom Taco Bell buys tomatoes.
Taco Bell says the company can't be expected to monitor the actions of its contractors. Nonsense, says the 22-year-old Ramírez, who took a bite of the passed-around loaf of bread and described the Battle of Taco Bell.
OC Weekly: How are you feeling right now? Romeo Ramírez: I've broken the fast! I was able to prove to myself that I could do it for 10 days. Why did your group finally break the fast?
We need to go back to Florida and start working again. We have to make money, you know?
Did Taco Bell ever meet with the CIW?
Never. We sent letters to Taco Bell, tried to arrange meetings. There was a delegation of local activists who tried to walk into the corporate headquarters and asked to speak with management. They were locked out. We tried making a phone call to the senior vice president of Yum! (Taco Bell's parent company). He changed his phone number. Even Irvine Mayor Larry Agran tried to arrange a meeting between Taco Bell and us; they wouldn't even acknowledge him.
Was this fast a failure?
No. We knew Taco Bell would never have the courage to meet with us and that they would hide behind their claim that we should bring our problems to the growers in Florida. But we were able to publicize our struggle in the fields to thousands of people. And Taco Bell knew. Even if they didn't speak to us, they knew.
What did it feel like going through the fast?
It was very punishing. There was always a latent urge to eat. If you saw someone eating, you wanted to ask them, “Please, give me a bite to eat.” There were some days when I didn't want to speak to anyone. The body wanted to sleep. Each day, the stomach asked for food. And if its desire wasn't met, the stomach would start churning and try to shut down the entire body.
What sort of emotional states did you go through?
A part of me was sad because I had no food. I was afraid I was going to end up in the hospital like two of my fellow farm workers. But I was mostly happy because I knew I wasn't doing this in vain. We were all doing it for a just cause. Someone had to do it to draw attention to the plight of farmworkers in Florida.
What kept you going?
I wanted to show Taco Bell that we weren't going anywhere.
What sort of nutrients kept you alive?
The only thing we consumed was bottles of water. Once in a while, we'd add lemon and salt.
Was this your first hunger strike?
Yes.
Would you do this again?
I don't know. It was really difficult and unpleasant to do this. But if the situation arises again . . . well, you have to.
