By Beth Osnes (co-founder of Mothers Acting Up)
Mothers have untapped political power to get policies in place that protect and care for the entire human family. Mothers also have incredible economic strength which, if flexed, could affect corporate policy in regard to labor practices in developing countries, paid maternity leave for all, no foreign child labor, and earth-friendly practices and products. All that is needed is cohesion and focusing on what unites over what divides us. Among the many groups rumbling beneath the surface of society working to unite mothers, is Mothers Acting Up (MAU), a movement of mothers publicly and passionately advocating for the world’s children. MAU inspires, educates and engages mothers — a gigantic force to be reckoned with — to prioritize children in our corporate and public policies. (http://www.mothersactingup.org/)
All societal change happens incrementally. It starts with one solid step that begins a journey towards honoring the promise of our children’s lives—of all children’s lives. It could be just this, that my morning cup of coffee always be Fair Trade certified coffee. This could seem a rather paltry start, but looking deeper, the significance of this effort and its link with larger international efforts can be seen, as well as the connection between individual choices and collective action. Making your morning cup of coffee Fair Trade ensures that the farmers growing and picking your beans received a fair wage and that the profits from the sale of your beans go back into their communities so that their children can go to school and that families have access to health care. It ensures no child labor is used, which is often not the case in such work as coffee farming where the nimble hands of young children are sought after. It ensures sustainable environmental practices are used, and often, that the product is also organic. Beyond that single farming community, you are participating in recommended methods (supporting Fair Trade) for achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which if fully supported, will halve extreme poverty by 2015.
How to start? It’s easy. Just ask your café or grocery store if they carry Fair Trade certified coffee. If not, respectfully let them know that you will be switching to a business whose practices
have a more positive impact on the world’s children. Better yet, share your interest in Fair Trade with them. Leave your phone number and ask the manager to call you once they chose to carry it. If they do, congratulate them warmly and spread the word! This kind of acting up is more contagious than Chicken Pox and loads more fun. In addition, these methods are likely to work for mothers who, as a whole, are repelled from more confrontational forms of acting up. This kind of activism is actually a form of community building, at which most mothers excel. It is realizing that we have an inherent relationship with the people who sell our goods and with the laborers who produce them, even if they live on another continent. As with any relationship, if one side feels slighted, hostilities emerge and can manifest themselves in many ways. The most certain way to hand down a peaceful world to our children is to tend to these relationships with integrity rather than a blind eye.
From your morning cup of coffee to international efforts to reduce poverty? Yes, we are all inextricably linked in both our challenges and our solutions. Want to make your pledge to drink Fair Trade coffee? Write an email to Melisande and Beth Osnes who are keeping track of how many folks are making the pledge ( osnesbeth at hotmail dot com ) or call us at 303-442-7628. We’ll post our numbers soon!
Happy coffee drinking to all!
Beth
Mothers have untapped political power to get policies in place that protect and care for the entire human family. Mothers also have incredible economic strength which, if flexed, could affect corporate policy in regard to labor practices in developing countries, paid maternity leave for all, no foreign child labor, and earth-friendly practices and products. All that is needed is cohesion and focusing on what unites over what divides us. Among the many groups rumbling beneath the surface of society working to unite mothers, is Mothers Acting Up (MAU), a movement of mothers publicly and passionately advocating for the world’s children. MAU inspires, educates and engages mothers — a gigantic force to be reckoned with — to prioritize children in our corporate and public policies. (http://www.mothersactingup.org/)
All societal change happens incrementally. It starts with one solid step that begins a journey towards honoring the promise of our children’s lives—of all children’s lives. It could be just this, that my morning cup of coffee always be Fair Trade certified coffee. This could seem a rather paltry start, but looking deeper, the significance of this effort and its link with larger international efforts can be seen, as well as the connection between individual choices and collective action. Making your morning cup of coffee Fair Trade ensures that the farmers growing and picking your beans received a fair wage and that the profits from the sale of your beans go back into their communities so that their children can go to school and that families have access to health care. It ensures no child labor is used, which is often not the case in such work as coffee farming where the nimble hands of young children are sought after. It ensures sustainable environmental practices are used, and often, that the product is also organic. Beyond that single farming community, you are participating in recommended methods (supporting Fair Trade) for achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which if fully supported, will halve extreme poverty by 2015.
How to start? It’s easy. Just ask your café or grocery store if they carry Fair Trade certified coffee. If not, respectfully let them know that you will be switching to a business whose practices
have a more positive impact on the world’s children. Better yet, share your interest in Fair Trade with them. Leave your phone number and ask the manager to call you once they chose to carry it. If they do, congratulate them warmly and spread the word! This kind of acting up is more contagious than Chicken Pox and loads more fun. In addition, these methods are likely to work for mothers who, as a whole, are repelled from more confrontational forms of acting up. This kind of activism is actually a form of community building, at which most mothers excel. It is realizing that we have an inherent relationship with the people who sell our goods and with the laborers who produce them, even if they live on another continent. As with any relationship, if one side feels slighted, hostilities emerge and can manifest themselves in many ways. The most certain way to hand down a peaceful world to our children is to tend to these relationships with integrity rather than a blind eye.From your morning cup of coffee to international efforts to reduce poverty? Yes, we are all inextricably linked in both our challenges and our solutions. Want to make your pledge to drink Fair Trade coffee? Write an email to Melisande and Beth Osnes who are keeping track of how many folks are making the pledge ( osnesbeth at hotmail dot com ) or call us at 303-442-7628. We’ll post our numbers soon!
Happy coffee drinking to all!
Beth
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