2004 IDF News and Updates

2004

Dec 8 , 2004 IDF Anti-War Benefit Show at the Cowboy-Monkey

Nov 28, 2004 Coca-Cola Spins Out of Control in India

Nov 20, 2004 Recap of the IDF Annual Fall Dinner

Nov 19, 2004 IDF Hosts Going Upriver in Response to Sinclair Broadcasting

Nov 19, 2004 Recap of "Leave No Vet Behind!" with Ray Parrish

Aug 3, 2004 PRC Receives Award from the Champaign County Health Care Consumers

On Friday, December 3, 2004, the Illinois Disciples Foundation held an anti-war benefit show at the Cowboy-Monkey in downtown Champaign. Proceeds from the benefit went to support the anti-war work that IDF has been doing for the last two years, especially the events of this last semester, and to support our continuing work against the war and occupation in Iraq. IDF staff set up the show, getting together a wonderful line-up of local and Chicagoan bands to perform at the show. The line-up included The Idle Hours, The Situation, jigGsaw, Cameron McGill and Shipwreck.

The audience at the IDF Anti-War Benefit Show, enjoying the Cowboy-Monkey ambience in downtown Champaign.

Between 150 and 200 people came out to the Cowboy-Monkey to show their support for the IDF's work and to hear the great bands, packing the small club to capacity throughout most of the evening.

In between sets, IDF staff had a chance to let people know about some of the great anti-war events that have been going on at IDF this Fall, including the "Leave No Vet Behind" event with VVAW Military Counselor, Ray Parrish. IDF Assistant Director, Aaron Smith, spoke of the problems facing vets and troops in Iraq now, some of things that Ray Parrish had recommended we can do to make sure they get what they need, and about how to find out more about the VVAW Military Counseling Program.

All the bands on the line-up were excited for a chance to play an anti-war benefit, and were thankful for the chance to help support such an important and timely cause. The IDF thanks them for donating their time, energy and creativity to help support our work. We are forever grateful for the support!

Jiggsaw brings the rock-and-roll to the IDF Anti-War Benefit. Lead singer, Mark Kenny (pictured left) is an IDF Staff member.

A packed house at the Cowboy-Monkey in downtown Champaign enjoys the great music while supporting the IDF's Anti-War work.

The Situation rocks the house. They encouraged folks to get involved with IDF's peace and justice work and check out the IDF literature table, in between leaving our ears ringing.

Thanks also to Ward Gollings at the Cowboy-Monkey and all the Cowboy-Monkey staff for volunteering to let us have the show there, it was integral to the show's success to have such an awesome venue!

Finally, thanks to the IDF staff for their hard work and dedication to setting up the show and thanks to all our supporters, both present and the new ones who signed up at the show, for all you've done to help keep our work going!

The IDF has long since been committed to fighting the injustices perpetuated by Coca-Cola. Most recently, we have been active in standing in solidarity against their anti-union tactics employed in their Colombia bottling factories. Unfortunately, Coca-Cola's unethical practices extend throughout the world.

"Coca-Cola Spins Out of Control in India"
By Amit Srivastava
India Resource Center
November 15, 2004

Farmers in India are delighted that they have finally found a use for Coca-Cola - as pesticide! News from farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh has confirmed that hundreds of farmers are spraying Coca-Cola directly on their crops, with amazing success. Using Coke to destroy pests is also more cost-effective than using other branded pesticides, and forecasts are that soon, thousands of farmers in India will be using Coca-Cola as pesticide.

This is another goodwill gesture, perhaps, on Coca-Cola's part. This is the same company that was in the habit of distributing its toxic waste (containing lead and cadmium, as confirmed by BBC), as a gesture of goodwill to farmers around its bottling facilities in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. It stopped the practice only when ordered to do so by the government.

The Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF) recently held its Annual Fall Dinner, one of the biggest events of the year, on Saturday, November 6th. Over fifty community members, students, activists and friends of the IDF came out to this event to enjoy the musical styles of Lisa Boucher, Dean Karres and Dan Niven of Triskelion, who played traditional Irish music before and during dinner. The menu featured locally grown food including donations from local farmers. The IDF would like to thank these farmers, the Common Ground Food Cooperative, The Bread Company, and Caffe Paradiso for their gracious donations!

After dinner, Jen Tayabji, the Executive Director of IDF, introduced our keynote speaker, Bill Davis. He is a national coordinator of Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), a national organization started in 1967 to fight for peace, justice, and the rights of all veterans. Davis is also the president of Auto Mechanics Union Local 701. He has been a member of Local 701 since 1977. He also is a representative for Local 701 for the Chicago Federation of Labor. The IDF has been working closely with VVAW in organizing anti-war activities and events to further educate our community on the injustices being committed by our government against both the Iraqi and Afghani people as well as the soldiers and veterans of these wars. Davis’ talk was entitled “Veterans Fighting in the Workplace and in Iraq.”

The final event of the evening was a raffle with a number of great prizes from all of Urbana-Champaign. Non-profit organizations and student groups donated merchandise from their campaigns, including t-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers. Local merchants also generously donated some great gift certificates and products from their businesses like clothes, jewelry, and CD’s. Our grand prizes were very exciting! Circles’ Boutique offered a private shopping party and gift certificate of $100. The final grand prize was an ink drawing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We would like to thank Old Vic Art Gallery and Victor Gallo himself for donating a piece that really reflects the peace with justice Mission of the IDF.

During the event, literature and information about the IDF programs as well as postcards addressed to U of I Board of Trustees demanding the removal of the U of I’s symbol “Chief Illiniwek” were available for guests to take.

In all, the event was a great success that brought together the community to really think about anti-war and post-election organizing while enjoying music, dinner, prizes and of course, each other’s company.

The IDF would like to thank the following organizations and businesses for donating gifts for our raffle: Old Vic Art Gallery, Circles, The Great Impasta, Polyvinyl Records, World Harvest, Caffe Paradiso, Parasol Records, Chevy’s, Dandelion, Jane Addams, Retro Rocket, Carries, Bacaro/Persimmon, Illinois Student Environmental Network, Beth Rockenbach, Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Graduate Employees Organization, Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, and Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

The IDF would also like to thank the following cosponsors: Activist Forum, the Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), El Centro por los Trabajadores, Feminist Majority, the Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC), the Common Ground Food Co-operative, the Muslim Student Associate, the student chapter of NAACP, the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), U-C Friends Meeting, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), and the Women’s Direct Action Collective.

On Tuesday, October 26th, the Illinois Disciples Foundation presented Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry. Over 40 people came out to watch this documentary. Going Upriver is a documentary, directed and produced by George Butler, that chronicles John Kerry’s service in the Navy during the Vietnam War and his activism against the war upon his return. But it is more than simply a biography of Kerry; Going Upriver documents a generation of Americans who were affecting by the Vietnam War and how those issues have resurfaced today.

The IDF held this event in response to the controversial airing of Stolen Honor on Sinclair Broadcasting. Sinclair ordered 40 of its 62 stations, including the Champaign station WICD, to air a special news program entitled A POW Story. In this “news” program, a portion of an anti-Kerry documentary, “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal,” was included despite it’s obvious bias towards the upcoming presidential elections that was just days away. In an effort to give citizens a chance to hear fair and balanced coverage that the mainstream media has yet to offer, the Illinois Disciples Foundation chose to show an alternative to A POW Story.

By showing this film, the Illinois Disciples Foundation was in no way endorsing John Kerry or any other candidate for president of the United States.

The University YMCA is cosponsoring this event and has graciously offered their projector to show the film. We'd like to thank the University YMCA and everyone who came out to this event!

On October 19th, 2004, the Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF) hosted Ray Parrish from the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) in a talk entitled "Leave No Vet Behind." The event began at 7pm at the IDF. About 30 people came out despite the dismal weather! Joe Miller, a member of the IDF Board and a national co-coordinator of VVAW, introduced Parrish.

Ray Parrish is the military counselor for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War’s (VVAW) Military Counseling Service, which provides confidential discharge counseling, legal, medical, and mental health referrals for GI’s and Veterans, counter recruiting and draft information, and more. VVAW was formed in 1967 with the mission of fighting for peace, justice, and the rights of all veterans. If you would like more information about the Military Counseling Service or VVAW, please check out their website at www.vvaw.org.

Ray served in the USAF during the Vietnam-era. He ran the Midwest Comm. for Military Counseling for a decade until the funding ran out in 1995. Then he spent five years as an American Legion Veteran’s Service Officer until the VA had him fired. For the 3 years before coming to VVAW, he was a mental health caseworker reintegrating the homeless into the community.

He spoke about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the needs of GIs and veterans today, and the current injustices facing soldiers fighting the war in Iraq.

The Illinois Disciples Foundation has been firmly committed to anti-war organizing since the movement against the Vietnam War.

Thank you to everyone who came out to this event!

On Friday, July 23rd, 2004 the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, a program of the Illinois Disciples Foundation, received the "Special Recognition Award" at the Champaign County Health Care Consumers Annual Award Dinner.

Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is a non-profit, grassroots, citizen action organization founded on the premise of participatory democracy and the belief that meaningful reforms in the health care system will come only with the active involvement of consumers. CCHCC believes that access to decent, affordable health care is a fundamental human right and a social and economic justice issue. Since 1977, CCHCC has been working at the grassroots level to engage and empower consumers in the struggle for health care access and justice – at the local, state, and national levels. CCHCC uses the following principles to guide its efforts:

• All people should have access to quality health care at an affordable price.
• The health and well-being of all people is dependent upon a decent standard of living, including adequate food, clothing, housing, and necessary social services.
• Citizen empowerment through consumer participation is essential for achieving real improvement in the health care system.

The PRC was recognized by CCHCC for its tireless community organizing last year, specifically around the racist mascot at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, "Chief Illiniwek." For over 15 years the PRC has been fighting for the removal of this racist mascot. The UI Board of Trustees, who holds the power to do so, has neglected its duty through inaction and broken promises. In April of 2004, the PRC organized a 33-hour sit-in at UIUC's Swanlund Administration Building. They walked away with great victories, including key meetings with state legislators. For more information on the PRC and the anti-"Chief" campaign, you can check out the PRC's website at http://www.prairienet.org/prc.

Rev. Jim Holiman (in the back), CCHCC Board member and Campus Minister Emeritus at IDF, presented the award to the PRC. The PRC members who accepted the award on behalf of PRC are (from left to right): Aaron Smith (IDF Asst. Director), Leslie VanBuren (PRC Coordinator), Lian Alan (former PRC Coordinator), Nikki Ditchman (PRC Coordinator), and Jen Tayabji (IDF Exec. Director).

The Illinois Disciples Foundation would like to congratulate the PRC on receiving the 2004 CCHCC Special Recognition Award and on all of their organizing successes of the past year!

The Illinois Disciples Foundation hosted the second annual "Human Rights Film Series” in March and April. Last year the IDF sponsored the highly successful "Human Rights Film Series." The purpose of the Series was to raise awareness about past and current violations of human rights, both abroad and in the U.S., that, in many cases, the United States government was itself involved.

The Series featured five documentaries, each followed by 20-30 minutes of group discussion facilitated by community activists. We had up to fifty people in attendance at each film, making this year’s series a success!

On Thursday, March 18th, we showed "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War," a controversial and arresting new film that takes you behind the walls of government, as CIA, Pentagon and foreign service experts speak out, many for the first time, detailing the lies, misstatements and exaggerations that served as the reasons to fight a "preemptive" war that wasn't necessary. The film was facilitated by Joe Miller, an adjunct assistant professor at UIUC and a national coordinator of Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

On Thursday, April 1st, we showed "Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story," about the violent events that took place in 1975 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the extended standoff between FBI agents and Indian activists, and the resulting, hotly contested conviction of Leonard Peltier, a Sioux political leader, for the deaths of two federal agents.

On Thursday, April 8th, we showed "Zapatista," a film from the Big Noise Collective, documenting the 1996 journey of three young activists into the heart of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, making the connections between it and the global movement against economic exploitation.

On Thursday, April 15th, we showed "Hidden Wars of Desert Storm." On August 2nd, 1990, Saddam Hussein launched his troops against Kuwait. Were all diplomatic means really utilized to try to resolve the issue peacefully? Was there any threat from Iraq against Saudi Arabia? What is the truth behind this mysterious "Gulf War Syndrome?" "Hidden Wars of Desert Storm" brings answers to these questions backed by interviews with General Schwarzkopf, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, former UNSCOM team-leader Scott Ritter and many others. Major Doug Rokke facilitated the film. He is a PhD health physicist, forensic scientist, and U.S. expert on the use of depleted Uranium weapons in the 1991 Iraq War.

On Thursday, April 22nd, we showed "Stolen Moments," which attempts to detail the struggle of lesbians to survive in a hostile world. Beginning with modern day celebrations of pride, it moves back through time, documenting the many successes and setbacks in the struggle for recognition of lesbian identities and rights.

We would like to thank the cosponsor of the film series: Activist Forum, Amnesty International #124, Campus Greens, Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Channing-Murray Foundation, Common Ground Food Cooperative, El Centro por los Trabajadores, Feminist Majority, Justice For Palestine, Muslim Student Association, McKinley Foundation, Mexican Student Association, PRIDE, Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, Queer Grads, St. Jude’s Catholic Worker House, St. Patrick’s Social Action Committee, School For Designing A Society, Students For Environmental Concerns, That’s Rentertainment, UC Independent Media Center, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Women’s Direct Action Collective, UI Gender and Women’s Studies Department, and the UI YMCA. We would like to give a special thanks to That’s Rentertainment for donating the use of their projector! We would also like to thank the Common Ground Food Cooperative for providing yummy free snacks at each film!

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Second Annual Human Rights Film Series a success!

Dear friends,

Yesterday we won an incredible victory toward the eventual and inevitable elimination of "Chief Illiniwek" as the name, mascot, and logo of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Friday afternoon, we came to an agreement with Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Trustee Frances Carroll on the conditions under which we would leave the building. Those conditions, while not including the elimination of "Chief
Illiniwek," did include monumental victories for the anti- "Chief" movement! We got the anti-"Chief" resolution back on the agenda of the Trustees' June 2004 meeting and we left the building to cheering crowds and national and international media attention in our favor. Please read on for more information.

Despite repeated attempts to establish contact, Board Chairman Lawrence Eppley never once picked up the phone to speak with us or bothered to contact us about the conditions under which we would agree to leave the building. Clearly, Eppley would rather see the campus in crisis than speak even once with a broad-based, multicultural coalition to talk about concerns over racism. Given the Board's refusal to communicate, knowing that they would eventually take action to clear the building, and not wanting our participants to potentially face arrest at the hands of an unresponsive Board, we made the decision to negotiate with Chancellor Cantor about the terms under which we would leave the building.

As a result of astonishing and inspiring work on the part of African American and Latino/a students on the inside of the sit-in to call their representatives and senators in the Illinois General Assembly, we were able to win meetings with the entire Black and Latino/a Caucuses of the Illinois General Assembly -- meetings that Chancellor Cantor scheduled for us for April 27th in Springfield. We are pleased to
have been able to come to an agreement whereby the Chancellor guaranteed us student representation of our choosing at upcoming meetings with the North Central Association, and assured sit-in
participants that no disciplinary action would be taken against them. In addition, we have come to an agreement with Trustee Carroll whereby she has agreed to place a resolution against "Chief Illiniwek" on the agenda of the Board's June meeting in Chicago!!! In exchange for these guaranteed meetings, amnesty for sit-in participants, and a commitment by Carroll to put a resolution on agenda of the June meeting, we agreed to leave Swanlund Administration Building. The announcement was made at a joint press conference with Chancellor Cantor and the signed statement.

We will be using the meetings we have won with the Black and Latino/a Caucuses and with the NCA to move the Board of Trustees to the inevitable next step, the elimination of "Chief Illiniwek," in name,
dance, and logo, and mobilizing the coalition to ensure passage of a resolution to eliminate "Chief Illiniwek" at the June Board in Chicago.

Please take a moment to contact Board Chair Lawrence Eppley at (312) 372-1121 or email him via the Trustees' secretary at mthompsn@uillinois.edu (please copy all emails to prc@prairienet.org ) and tell him that you were outraged by his refusal to communicate with students and faculty sitting-in, and that he must take immediate action to eliminate "Chief Illiniwek."

Stories ran in almost every major city in the country (including, Chicago, Miami, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, and Atlanta) and also in the UK's Guardian.

As we sat in at Swanlund Administration Building for over 32 hours, we received an enormous outpouring of support from the campus, community, and nation as a whole. Thank you so much to all of you who came by, brought food, helped run errands, made calls, donated money, and otherwise gave very generously of yourself in support of the sit-in! We would not have made the progress that we made without YOU!!

Sincerely,

The Swanlund sit-in crew

On February 26th, 2004 the Activist Forum Group of the Illinois Disciples Foundation hosted Joseph T. Miller in a talk about his life and experiences as an activist, in a presentation entitled, “Born Into Cold War, Tempered by Vietnam: An Activist Itinerary.” Joe currently works as an academic advisor and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois. He has been involved with the IDF for many years, and currently sits on our Board of Directors as the Board Chair. In addition, Joe also serves as a national coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. Activist Forum has featured many long time activists, speaking about their rich experiences working in their communities to bring about positive change. Joe, just as well as any speaker we’ve had, exemplifies that struggle. During his presentation he spoke in detail about some of the early influences he had growing up Catholic in McCarthy-era America, that led him to question the status quo. Through his story-telling, Joe lead us through the events which brought him to be involved in the Vietnam War (at one point serving as an intelligence officer in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964), and eventually to become a strident activist against the war, both while in the service and out of it. His rising political involvement eventually brought him in 1969 to become involved with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, with which he is still active today. Joe’s story was quite fascinating and amazing for many of the younger people at the talk, but was equally enthralling for many of us who have known Joe for years. Many of the stories were new even to his fellow board members and friends. The question and answer session at the end went on for many minutes longer than planned, no one wanted to end the conversation! It was admittedly another highly successful Activist Forum presentation.

On Monday March 15, Coca-Cola union workers in Colombia began a hunger strike in front of the Coke bottling plants in Barrancabermeja, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Medellín, and Valledupar. Juan Carlos Galvis, vice president of the local union in Barrancabermeja, has said, "If we lose the fight against Coca-Cola, we will first lose our union, next our jobs and then our lives." Please
take action immediately to support these workers by sending the message below to Coca-Cola TODAY.
On September 9, 2003, Coca-Cola FEMSA, Coca-Cola's largest Colombian bottler, closed the production lines at 11 of their 16 bottling plants. (The Coca-Cola Company shares several board members with Coca-Cola FEMSA and owns 46.4 % of its voting stock.) Since then, they've pressured more
than 500 workers into "voluntarily resigning" from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment. Most of the union leaders have refused to resign and the company has now escalated the pressure against them. On February 25, the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection (Labor) authorized Coca-Cola FEMSA's plans to dismiss 91 workers - 70 percent of whom are union leaders. This is Coca-Cola's
effort to essentially eliminate the union. Campaign for Labor Rights supports the union's call for
Coca-Cola FEMSA to relocate those workers to other positions within those plants or to transfer them to other plants. This is what the company is required to do, according to Articles 18 and 91 of the current collective bargaining agreements. In January, a Colombian judge also ordered the company to do this for the workers at the plants in Barrancabermeja and Cúcuta.

On behalf of the workers and their families, please send the strongest possible message to The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta by sending the letter below. Send a letter to Coca Cola Media Relations Issue Director Lori George Billingsley. Below is the sample letter. You can send as is it or modify it with your own words.

**********************************
Lori George Billingsley
Media Relations Issue Director
Coca Cola Company
Atlanta, Georgia
Fax: (404) 598-5051

Dear Lori George Billingsley:

Please forward this message to Douglas Daft, CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Coca-Cola Company, and Steven Heyer, Coca-Cola FEMSA board member and President & Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company:

On March 15, union workers in Colombia began a hunger strike in front of the Coke bottling plants. They've taken this action to protest Coca-Cola FEMSA's plans to dismiss 91 more workers from the bottling plants in Colombia. Seventy percent of those workers are union leaders, so that would essentially eliminate the union.

On September 9, 2003, Coca-Cola FEMSA closed the production lines at 11 of their 16 bottling plants in
Colombia. Since then, they've pressured more than 500 workers into "voluntarily resigning" from their contracts in exchange for a lump sum payment. These massive dismissals are part of an ongoing campaign by the Coca-Cola bottlers to eliminate the union in Colombia. Seven leaders of SINALTRAINAL have been murdered - including Isidro Segundo Gil, who was shot to death by paramilitaries inside the plant in Carepa. Sixty-seven union leaders have been threatened with death. Now, more than 88 percent of the Coke workers in Colombia are temporary employees or contractors - many of whom earn just the minimum wage of $120 per month and don't have any benefits.

Mr. Daft, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, which owns 46.4% of Coca-Cola FEMSA's voting stock, and Mr. Heyer, as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Coca-Cola Company and a member of Coca-Cola FEMSA's board, I demand that you to tell Coca-Cola FEMSA to relocate the workers to other positions within those plants or to transfer them to other plants. This is what the company is required to do, according to Articles 18 and 91 of the current collective bargaining
agreements. In January, a Colombian judge ordered the company to do this for the workers at the plants in Barrancabermeja and Cucuta.

I will spread the word about the ongoing repression against the Coke union workers in Colombia and about the hunger strike. Please let me know how you intend to address these matters.

Sincerely,
Your name and address
***********************************

What's At Stake

Communiqué from SINALTRAINAL, the Coke workers' union
WORKERS ON NATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE FOR THE RIGHT TO WORK AND AGAINST THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AT COCA-COLA

Starting at 6 A.M. on March 15, we, the workers, have initiated a Hunger Strike in front of the Coca-Cola plants in Barrancabermeja, Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Medellín, and Valledupar. We're doing this to denounce, nationally and internationally, that nine Coca-Cola workers have been killed and 67 have been threatened with death; and that we've been the victims of attempted murder, kidnappings, forced displacement, and the burning of one of our union offices by the paramilitaries. This has forced many workers to resign from the union. We're also denouncing the unjust termination of employment contracts, the use of illegal confinement to force workers to resign, the subcontracting
of more than 88 percent of the workers and the impact this has had on living conditions, and the attempt by Coca-Cola to eliminate rights in the negotiations of collective bargaining agreements as has been occurring since March 1 of this year.

We're struggling for truth, justice, and reparations. That's why we filed suit in Southern District Court in
Florida, United States, against the Coca-Cola bottlers. On March 31, 2003, Judge José E. Martínez, ruled that the cases filed under the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) for violations of human rights could proceed for, among other reasons, the symbiotic relationship that exists between the paramilitaries and the Colombian state. But Coca-Cola has tried to criminalize various leaders of SINALTRAINAL, falsely accusing them of insult, slander, conspiracy to commit a crime, terrorism, rebellion, sabotage, property
damage, and theft. In this way, Coca-Cola stigmatizes the unionists in order to justify their persecution and repression by the government through the legal system. Various leaders of SINALTRAINAL have been unjustly imprisoned, in spite of having shown that we're innocent and were falsely charged.

Since September 9, 2003, Coca-Cola has kept the bottling plants in Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Ibague, Montería, Neiva, Pasto, Pereira, Popayán, Valledupar, and Villavicencio illegally closed. Previously, they illegally closed the bottling plants in Bogotá, Buenaventura, Girardot, and Mariquita. To complete this panorama of injustice, on February 25, 2004, the Social Protection Ministry authorized the dismissal of 91 workers. This was done without taking into account that the company had
already pressured more than 500 workers to resign, which is more than the 300 workers that the company initially wanted to dismiss. Coca-Cola has not respected the law, nor does it want to fulfill the legal resolution ("tutela") that ordered it to relocate the workers in other positions. It is refusing to abide by articles 18 and 91 of the collective bargaining agreements that require it to not dismiss workers in the case of a reduction of activities, closure of plants, or restructuring; but to train the workers and relocate them in other positions. With all this, the company is trying to destroy SINALTRAINAL, finish off the collective bargaining agreements, eliminate direct and long-term employment contracts, reduce costs, and increase its profits, by producing in just five megaplants and supplying the market from distribution centers.

We, the workers affected by the closure of the production lines, are continuing to resist. But, given the grave aggression that we're continuing to suffer, there's no other recourse but to declare a hunger strike and demand that Coca-Cola respect the law, and fulfill the legal resolution passed by the judge in January 2004 to protect the right to work and require Coca-Cola to relocate the workers in other positions. We're also demanding the fulfillment of the collective bargaining agreement by relocating the workers in other positions, an end to the repression, and respect for our human rights.

LUIS JAVIER CORREA SUAREZ, President, SINALTRAINAL

Anti-"Chief" Kicks Off Month of Action Against Racist Symbol
Organizations Call on the UI Board to Vote Against the "Chief"

On Wednesday, February 11, 2004 a coalition of Champaign-Urbana organizations held a press conference to kick off the Anti-“Chief” Month of Action against the racist symbol of UI, “Chief Illiniwek.” The Anti-“Chief” Month of Action, beginning with the press conference, started exactly one month before the UI Board is scheduled to decide the fate of “Chief Illiniwek.” The UI Board of Trustees, which holds the power to remove the “Chief” from the UI, is scheduled to vote on the Champaign-Urbana campus March 11, 2004 on a resolution presented by Trustee Frances Carroll calling for the retirement of “Chief Illiniwek.”

The Anti-“Chief” Month of Action is a collectively organized series of events featuring email and call-in campaigns targeting the UI Board of Trustees, educational events and actions. Jackson Foote, a member of the Student Peace Action, said, “The anti-“Chief: movement is the most important issue affecting our campus today, and one of the most important issues in the state and national arenas.” Each week the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative will target a specific UI Board member through action alerts by encouraging students and community members to contact the Board member through email and by phone. Several organizations, including La Casa Cultural Latina and the Illinois Disciples Foundation, will be hosting showings of In Whose Honor?, a documentary by Jay Rosenstein about “Chief Illiniwek.” Also the Artists Against Racism will be holding an Anti-“Chief” Hip Hop Show at the Illinois Disciples Foundation on February 27, 2004. On March 10, the day before the scheduled vote, the Anti-“Chief” Coalition will be hosting a full day of activities on the UI Quad including drumming, a rally, and an all-night vigil. Other organizations involved in the Anti-“Chief” Month of Action include the local Amnesty International, the Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE), the UI Student chapter of the NAACP, the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media (NCRSM), the NAES (Native American Educational Services) College, South Asian Collective, and the Women’s Direct Action Collective.

Several representatives from cultural and racial justice organizations, including the Artists Against Racism, the student chapter of NAACP, and the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media, spoke at the press conference and stressed the growing unity to oust “Chief Illiniwek.” Antar Jackson, co-founder of Artists Against Racism, said, “By objectifying humans, American citizens, underneath the guise of a fictitious, monolithic stereotype the University has restricted a significant portion of its community from obtaining this basic American right. It is the duty of this University's administration, faculty, and students to rectify this wrong that has superceded its citizens’ rights for many decades of the past.” Today, UIUC's South Asian Collective released a letter from their organization to Trustee Shah, who is South Asian, encouraging him to vote for Carroll's resolution to ban “Chief Illiniwek.” During the press conference organizations premiered the full line up of events for the Anti-“Chief” Month of Action with a visual calendar.

The Press Conference was concluded by a presentation from UI graduate student Nikki Ditchman, a member of the PRC, who called on the UI Board of Trustees to vote to retire the “Chief” on March 11. Ms. Ditchman said, “The number and scope of the organizations gathered today should send a strong message to the UI Board of Trustees that this is not only an issue of importance to the Native American community, but being championed by the community as a whole, which wants racial justice now.” Last week, the Illinois Student Government passed a resolution to take a neutral stance on the issue of “Chief Illiniwek” and also passed a resolution to hold a student referendum on the issue the week after the UI Board is scheduled to vote. Anti-“Chief” activists feel that the referendum is misguided because the student body is composed of less than 1% of Native Americans. There are only 93 self-identified Native Americans on the UIUC campus. Students have had 15 years to provide input about the “Chief” to the UI Board and ultimately the decision should be based on what the Native American communities want. Every national Native American organization that has spoken out about race-based mascots has spoken against their use. It seems that the ultimate intention of the student referendum is to delay the Board vote.

The coalition of organizations expect that the UI Board of Trustees will still vote in March and not use the ISG referendum or Chancellor Cantor’s resignation as excuses to postpone it. Trustee Eppley, the chair of the Board, has publicly said, "I do think it's a matter of when rather than if, but we have to find the right time." The removal of the racist mascot “Chief Illiniwek” from the UI is long overdue, and there will be no better time than March 11, 2004.

Aaron Smith will be joining the IDF Staff this month as the new full-time Assistant Director! Well, sort of. Before being hired as the Assistant Director, Aaron was on the IDF Staff as a Campus Ministry Associate. Aaron Smith has been involved at the IDF for many years as a member of the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative and the Common Ground Food Co-op, some of the IDF programs, and as a staff member. We are all thrilled that Aaron will be the next Assistant Director! Congratulations, Aaron!