Fair Trade for the Holidays

On December 2, 1980, two members of the Cleveland Catholic Mission Team in El Salvador were killed by US-supported military personnel: Jean Donovan, a lay woman from St Luke’s Parish in Lakewood, and Sister Dorothy Kazel, an Ursuline sister who had taught at Beaumont School in Cleveland Heights.

The InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF) was formed so that we here in northeast Ohio could live out their legacy—taking action in solidarity with oppressed peoples as they struggle for peace, dignity and justice.

Promoting economic justice through fair trade is an important part of IRTF’s human rights mission. IRTF brought Equal Exchange, the first fair trade coffee company in the US, to Cleveland in the mid-1990s. Many congregations started selling and serving Equal Exchange coffee as an act of justice and solidarity. Dave’s Market on Payne Ave became the first store in Cleveland to carry Equal Exchange. Then Heinen’s became the first grocery chain in the US to sell Equal Exchange in all its stores.

IRTF plays a leading role in the Ohio Fair Trade Network, which since 2009 has been holding the annual Ohio Fair Trade Teach-In & Expo each October (fair trade month) at John Carroll University.

About IRTF Fair Trade

IRTF works towards justice and equity in the distribution, access to, and participation in the production and consumption of the world’s resources for the people of Central America and Colombia. IRTF examines the corporate-dominated globalization of the economy through the lens of people in Central America and Colombia and how their reality is linked to ours in NE Ohio. IRTF challenges the dominant economic model that results in exploitation both at home and abroad. IRTF offers an alternative through Fair Trade.

Fair trade is a trade model that sets a series of standards to ensure fair wages and human dignity for producers, community investment, environmental sustainability, and more. IRTF promotes Fair Trade as an alternative trade model to the conventional free market system of trade that currently dominates our world and further divides us into “haves” and “have nots.”

At outreach tables throughout the year (schools, faith congregations, community festivals), IRTF sells artisan-crafted fair trade items—raising tens of thousands of dollars—so that artisans and farmers in Latin America can earn a living wage. Items include: tagua nut jewelry, coconut shell jewelry, silver jewelry, painted wood products, beaded key chains, ornaments, earrings, headbands, wallets (from re-purposed materials), handbags

Fair trade is an important of IRTF’s human rights mission: to call together people in NE Ohio to walk in solidarity with oppressed peoples of Central America and Colombia to achieve peace, justice, human rights and systemic transformation through nonviolence.

Fair Trade items

The items that IRTF sells are handcrafted by worker-owners of fair trade cooperatives (and collectives of artisans) in southern Mexico (Nahua people of Guerrero), Central America and Colombia

Colombia (tagua jewelry, wire yarn animals)

El Salvador (coconut shell jewelry, painted wood products, crocheted purses)

Guatemala (beaded key chains, ornaments, earrings, headbands; wallets, handbags)

Mexico (silver jewelry)

Honduras (some of the earrings).

The cooperatives are small businesses, worker-owned, mostly by women. They set their own hours and working conditions. Most importantly, they pay themselves a living wage (in the local context), but still live in poverty.

Because they earn a living wage, their children don’t have to drop out of school to help support the family. So fair trade is also helping the next generation as well.

By selling handmade crafts, we highlight the importance of fair trade as a just alternative to corporate-led globalization, which is shutting out small producers.

Price range of items

$5-10: small clay bobble-head animals, wire yarn animals, hacky sacks, finger puppets, beaded key chains, beaded holiday ornaments, friendship bracelets, snap leather bracelets, barrettes, wallets

$10-20: wallets, small purses, handbags, coconut shell earrings, silver earrings, silver bracelets, silver rings, novelty items

$20-30: wallets, purses, handbags, laptop covers

$30-40: purses, handbags, messenger bags

$40-50: large purses, messenger bags

Equal Exchange items

IRTF is a long-term partner of Equal Exchange, the first fair trade coffee company in the U.S. IRTF brought Equal Exchange to NE Ohio in the mid-1990s. Heinen’s became the first grocery chain to sell Equal Exchange in all its stores.

IRTF offers these Equal Exchange fair trade food products: chocolate bars, tea, hot cocoa mix, baking cocoa, coffee (regular, decaf, flavored), olive oil from the West Bank

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

It’s our busy season, and we need lots of volunteers to help us raise vital income for fair trade artisans and farmers—and share timely human rights updates with shoppers.

Please see the links below and consider volunteering for a shift at one (or more) of our off-site sales over the next month. We truly need and appreciate your support!

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