A retired Mennonite is not who you would expect to plan and participate in demonstrations against corporate giants like Publix. But Gainesville’s Richard MacMaster has the photos to prove it.
MacMaster, a coordinator for the Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice, created a gallery of photos to serve as a way to tell not only the story of his organization, but also the stories of the migrant workers that it aims to improve working and living conditions for.
The photos line the walls of the Mennonite Meeting House at 1236 NW 18th Ave., showcasing events the organization participated in, as well as portraits of laborers in Immokalee, Florida, filling large buckets with tomatoes.
“Our hope is that it would open eyes to the very hard and ill-paid work that goes into putting the food on your table,” he said, “especially the winter tomatoes.”
MacMaster said in the winter months, the Immokalee area provides tomatoes for nearly the entire country.
“They have to pick an enormous amount of tomatoes to make anything near minimum wage,” he said.
A combination of passionate key individuals and a desire to address human rights issues happening close to home led the organization to form in July 2010. Although students have been involved since the beginning, it chose to make religious institutions the cornerstone in order to maintain permanency in a transitional town.
“The appeal to justice is very strong in every religion’s scriptures,” MacMaster said.
Since its creation, the Alliance has worked closely with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Student Farmworker Alliance to negotiate fair food agreements with food growers and buyers.
The gallery aims to create a visible record of all the organization has accomplished and inspire continued growth in years to come.
Renee Hoffinger, a retired dietician who is involved with the Alliance, contributed photos to the gallery.
“As a dietician, I believe all food issues are connected,” Hoffinger said. “If you want to nourish yourself, you must do it ethically.”
Hoffinger said her beliefs are rooted in her Jewish faith and the tenet of Judaism that prohibits consuming food produced by oppressed labor.
“We vote with our forks,” she said. “The kind of food choices we make determine the world we will live in.”
Those interested in viewing the gallery can attend meetings for the Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice at the Mennonite Meeting House at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of every month.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 9/11/2014 under the headline "Photo gallery brings light to struggle of migrant workers"]
