Miami, 3/26 Nissan Truth Tour Recap
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The March 26th Nissan Truth Tour stop in Miami, Florida showcased the best of art and activism in South Florida. In a city with a great deal of culture but also a great deal of injustice, about 250 attendees came out to support this event. The event highlighted the Concerned Students for a Better Nissan campaign to support Nissan workers in Mississippi and Tennessee in their struggle for a voice in the workplace.
The event took place at Gramps Bar in Miami’s most prominent art district, Wynwood. In this neighborhood known for huge graffiti murals, artists, and young entrepreneurs, Miami youth gathered to create a space for not only art and culture but also a movement for justice. Performers ranging from spoken word to comedy, bands to solo singers spoke about many issues including labor rights, immigration, LGBTQ equality, homelessness, racism and sexism.
Actor & Humanitarian Danny Glover spoke over Skype to the audience, projected on to a huge wall. Glover quoted Dr. Martin Luther King in stating that unions are the best way to fight poverty. Calvin Morris, a Nissan worker, also Skyped in to talk about his experience. Speakers from Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity and Amnesty International also related the Nissan workers struggle to their personal experiences.
Amber Diaz, a T-mobile worker, was able to represent Communication Workers of America union to ask for solidarity from the audience in their very similar struggle to unionize at T-mobile.
Attendees tweeted constantly at Nissan as they learned about the struggle of the workers for better pay, job security, and the right to organize in the workplace. The event was so successful in getting people to tweet that #choosejustice was the number one trending hashtag in Miami. They also took photos with a giant polaroid frame reading, ‘We Stand With Nissan Workers!’ Since Miami has a large concentration of Nissan dealerships, Miami is an important city to educate consumers about the ongoing worker’s rights issue. The sheer number of Miamians speaking out to support workers will be impossible for Nissan to ignore.
The event was organized by the Florida Student Justice Alliance (FSJA) in collaboration with Concerned Students for Better Nissan, Gramps bar, Speakfridays, GlobeMed at FIU,The Beta Gamma Chapter of Phi Iota Alpha, Fraternity Inc, Amnesty International at FIU, SPEAK at FIU, Alpha Kappa Delta at FIU -FIU’s Center for Labor & Studies Center, FIU’s Women’s Center, Research Institute on Social & Economic Policy at FIU, Global and Sociocultural Studies Club, South Florida Progressive Jewish Action and Progressive Rags.
