The Situation
The United States contains about 4% of the world's population, despite having nearly 25% of the world's prisoners. A closer look into disparities that exist within the incarceration system will reveal a complex history regarding race and servitude.
In 1984, when the privatization of prisons was deemed constitutional, an opportunity to capitalize off of the incarcerated was created for corporations and private investors. The priority to rehabilitate and support re-entry into American society shifted, which redefined the lives of incarcerated people as a corporate commodity. Today, incarcerated people are largely unpaid or earning between 33 cents and $1.41 per hour on average. In fact, the incarceration system in the United States was developed as a response to the abolishment of slavery and enforcement against indentured servitude that largely targeted African enslaved people.
Alongside private enterprise, many universities have invested in this system of perpetual enslavement. The university I specifically attended for my undergraduate degree, the University of Florida, through its food provider partnership with Aramark, was utilizing prison labor as a means to provide dining services to its tens of thousands of students. I believed there were was a better, kinder, and more sustainable way to feed its students.
The STRATEGY
The University of Florida has had a troublesome history regarding human rights. 1962 was the first year the university offered admission to Black students, although continuing discriminatory practices long after. In 2024, the university removed its diversity, equity, and inclusion values, in addition to violently opposing numerous humanitarian movements that took place on its campus.
Despite its prestigious academic reputation, I believed I inherited a responsibility to leave the institution better than I left it as a student. As a result, I joined Dream Defenders, a national abolitionist organization, and led a task force responsible for supporting the divestment of prison profiteering from the university's campus.
Our strategy was to leverage the student body to pressure the university to make specific structural changes:
1. Divestment from Aramark and prison profiteering as a form of labor as a whole & the official employment for all of whom who contribute to the construction and maintenance of the university.
2. A renovation of the food supply chain, incorporating local restaurants and farmers, raising worker wages to the state minimum wage, a 10-year-plan to lower our carbon footprint, and introducing fresher and more nutritious food options.
The ACTION
After a 2-week period of research, I pitched the idea of a boycott. If we encouraged students to abstain from our student union's food options, we could leverage that economic loss to create greater pressure for our demands. Our first step was outreach. We took a multi-layered approach, leveraging numerous mediums where students and potential patrons were most active:
1. Social media: My team and I created personable posts spreading awareness on what was happening, how it was happening and how the viewer could help.
2. Public speaking engagement: I spoke at several student organization gatherings, including events, general body meetings, and forums. During these meetings, I would inform students and invite them to participate in the movement we were creating.
3. Event programming: My team and I hosted events, protests, and sit-ins, and additionally contacted journalists and news publications to facilitate local coverage.4. Organization collaboration: We received the co-signing of over 15 local organizations to our demands. These pledges were executed through managing relationships, outreach, and efficient communication
5. Virtual speaking engagements: The traction of our movement led to invitations from various large platforms. Through these opportunities, I spoke on radio shows, podcasts, and live streams, that connected us to a state-wide and national audience.
Our team met numerous times a week, taking notes, organizing important details, and planning for our next steps. The university responded sparingly throughout this year-long process, sending vague political statements and/or ignoring our messages entirely.
With time, we were able to secure two meetings with a group of three of university officials. Despite remaining calm and professional, we were lied to, waved off, then threatened with prospective police force. We decided our best course of action was to continue the movement, but avoid direct, physical confrontation, for the safety of our student body.
The Results
Months later, the university announced that it was officially cutting ties with Aramark, divesting from prison labor, and renovating how food reached the plates of its students. Today, the university features a weekly highlight of a local Gainesville restaurant, which draws revenue to local Gainesville businesses and encourages students to explore the bustling city that exists outside of the university boundaries. The food is fresher, being sourced from more local and higher quality providers. Additionally, the university also implemented a plan to minimize its carbon footprint over the next decade.