Rameez Abid, ICNA CSJ Communications Director, holding sign in top left corner in front of Walmart in Washington, D.C.
ICNA Council for Social Justice (CSJ) participated in the Black Friday protests that take place every year in front of Walmarts throughout the U.S. The protests are organized by OUR Walmart, an organization that works to ensure that every employee, regardless of his or her title, age, race, or sex, is respected at Walmart. The protests demand Walmart owners to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr and provide adequate full time work schedules for their employees. They have many supporters within and outside of Walmart.
We were able to meet at least three people at the protest who currently work at Walmart. They indicated that many Walmart employees secretly support OUR Walmart’s work but are afraid to voice their opinion due to fear of being fired. There have been recent reports of Walmart spying on its employees and even going as far as to contact the FBI.
ICNA chapters in Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, and New Jersey participated in this campaign. ICNA CSJ had requested all ICNA chapters and the Muslim community in general to participate in its most recent newsletter.
A few of the representatives spoke at the event. The following is are a few enlightening words from ROC DC representative at the protest in Washington, D.C. For more pictures from the event, click here.
Black Friday Protest 2015 in D.C.Restaurant Opportunities Center of Washington DC (ROC-DC) representative letting us know why we have gathered.ICNA CSJ participated in this rally today. It was great working with OURWalmart and Stand up to Walmart. We hope to do it again next year. Hopefully such action will lead to change.
Posted by ICNA CSJ on Friday, November 27, 2015
