NYU Student Uses Change.org to Take Down Local Chick-fil-A

Last year I reported on Joe Picini, a NYU senior at the time, climbing the University’s thick layers of bureaucracy to rid New York City of it’s only Chick-fil-A. This southern chicken fast food factory has been known for supporting anti-gay groups with millions of dollars, and the students of NYU wonder why their campus provides it a home. Not to mention a home that is so close to the birthplace of the gay rights movement in NYC’s west village.

This time around NYU freshman Hillary Dworkoski is taking a different approach than her predecessors. She is building the support of her peers through a petition on Change.org (the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change). With over 10,000 supporters already, Dworkoski feels that she can be the one to finally solidify that change. “While Hillary may not be the first person to take on New York City’s only Chick-fil-A, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s the last,” said Change.org Campaign Manager Mark Anthony Dingbaum.

The movement to remove Chick-fil-A has received some amazing support on NYU’s campus and is gaining a lot of press around the matter outside of university walls. They won’t be going unnoticed, that is for sure! Of course some students still pray for their favorite chicken to stay (I myself used to love a good waffle fry from that place.) but Dworkoski says, “I typically just ask those people what’s more important to them: waffle fries or human rights.”

 

Check out the campaign on Change.org here.

 

UPDATE 3/2/2012:

NYU Local reports that NYU’s Student Senators Council send an open email to the student body stating, “There is a fundamental difference between personal boycott and institutional prohibition. To ban any entity from campus for ideological reasons is, in most every case, to limit freedom of expression.”

Dworkoski’s reply to the SSC’s e-mail: “This email does not affect me at all. I will continue raising awareness about this issue and trying to get rid of Chick-fil-A on campus even if it takes all three of my remaining years at NYU.”

Gothamist reports that some students showed up to the Anti-Chick-fil-A protest in support of the fast food spot bearing signs saying “Chicken tastes better than equality” – What dumbasses… I really wish I were there.