I went to Stillwater to participate in the action with workers who clean Twin Cities Cub Foods stores. It was a beautiful day and not too cold to appreciate it. Stillwater was its lovely self, the gracious old homes overlooking the river which stretches far and wide there.
We had come to work for justice. That is an easy phrase to say, and just as easy to feel good about when saying it. But it became more than words for me as we met two contracted cleaners from CTUL, Mario and Jesus, and prayed together in the parking lot. It did not have the exhilaration of a large demonstration, but we were connecting with each other in a way that cannot happen in bigger actions.
In Cub headquarters, a receptionist called someone to come listen to our speakers. Most of our time there I was unable to hear the conversation so I focused on people’s facial expressions. The Cub Foods’ representative appeared to be listening to both the Spanish and English explanations of why we had come. He also seemed very uncomfortable.
Mario presented requests for meetings regarding working conditions. It would be daunting for me to try and present something important to someone who does not speak my language, which is what Mario had to do. But what I saw was his calm persistence. I could hear and see Brandon, who courteously, and also persistently, presented the simple fact that Cub Foods employees and contracted cleaners are all human beings. It was uplifting to hear those words in this setting. The idea that we are all children of God is not something that gets tossed around a lot in a non-religious setting.
But it was Jesus whose face made the words “work for justice” become very real to me. He is a young man whose job was taken from him by the acts of people with more power than he holds. On his face I read worry, distress, and a little fear. I don’t mean to speak for him, I don’t know how he was feeling, but that is what my heart read. From that moment, I became motivated by the very realness of Jesus’ life struggles and I felt rather than thought about the injustice and pain.
One of the reasons injustices happen is that there are faceless components to them. Who actually decided to cut wages and staff while increasing workloads for the cleaners? Those people remain faceless. When you go shopping for groceries and the floors are clean, the shelves are stocked neatly, etc., you don’t even think about who cleans, who stocks, who orders food, who delivers it, who grew it. They are all faceless.
But when you see faces, it all changes.
*For more information about this event please click on the picture below
*For more information about this event please click on the picture below
