Valentine's Day (belated)

On Valentine's Day I celebrated with conscience! I'm helping to re-start the Peace Education Network at Teachers College (PEN) which we tried to name Peace Organizers for Research and Networking (PORN) but it didn't go over as well with the authorities. As one of our goals is to bring issues of oppression and activism to the TC campus, on V-Day Michelle and Brittany had an excellent idea. We bagged Fair Trade Chololate chips with dried cranberries and handed them out with info sheets on why everyone should buy Fair Trade. Some info:

• Very little of the profit goes to the farmers who grow the cocoa beans. Cocoa farmers receive about a penny for a candy bar selling for 60 cents.
• The difficulty in making a living at cocoa farming has spawned an increase in child and even slave labor drawn from poor neighboring countries
• The Fair Trade Certified production criteria guarantee a minimum price and insure that no child or forced labor is used

Valentine's Ball

Michael, Me, Anmol