- Do no harm: find ways to avoid buying slave made products
- Do good: pray and give to organizations fighting trafficking and helping victims
- Stay in love with God: our source of strength, compassion, and love who can help us continue our much needed work for justice.
Showing posts with label social justice. Show all posts
Anti-Harassment Week
I'm on the Harry Potter Alliance's email list, and they sent the following out this week, which just tickled my funny bone:
(A reference to a very Harry Potter Musical for all you Muggles)
Preach it Darren Criss.
Is this the real life...
Last night I had a dream that Nicholas Kristoff, co-writer of Half the Sky, invited me over AIM (of all things...) to work for Half the Sky. Being me, I tweeted it, and low and behold...
Ahh! I am beyond star struck. I was somewhat considering getting involved with Half the Sky, and this just solidified my desire to join this movement!
Half the Sky promotes a wonderful message:
"The Half the Sky Movement is cutting across platforms to ignite the change needed to put an end to the oppression of women and girls worldwide, the defining issue of our time. Inspired by journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book of the same name, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide brings together video, websites, games, blogs and other educational tools to not only raise awareness of women's issues, but to also provide concrete steps to fight these problems and empower women. Change is possible, and you can be part of the solution."
If you haven't read the book or seen the documentary, I highly recommend them.
So, I signed up to be a community advocate and put in a request to host a screening. Click through the links to find out more information on Half the Sky and find out how you can get involved!
Freedom House
I recently attended a phenomenal conference on the movement to end human trafficking. I walked out overwhelmed, but with the clear sense that I needed to do something. That sense of something has turned into a volunteer opportunity through Freedom House, a shelter for trafficking victims in the bay area. Throughout March, I'll be attending weekly trainings to be a shelter volunteer, and I truly could not be more excited.
"Our ultimate goal is to empower survivors, supporting them in their journey of moving out of their past trauma to a future of independence and self-sufficiency."
I have no idea what to expect. I doubt it will be easy - in fact I expect it to be challenging, since it will bring me face to face with a terribly brutal side of humanity, but I'd like to do what I can to put a little more love in the world. Obviously this volunteer position asks for a high level of confidentiality, but I hope to share what I learn about anti-trafficking action and efforts.
Lent and Human Trafficking
I love my weekly emails from the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. It's all packed full of articles about social justice issues, which of course is right up my alley. This past email, they had a great article on Lent and Human Trafficking - how can we use this time of intentionality to make a difference?
There 40 days could allow us - if we courageously accept - to see our own slavery footprint.
The article promotes a link to slaveryfootprint.org where you can take a quiz to see how many slaves are John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had three rules to living a faithful life. It goes on to interpret these rules so they apply to human trafficking:
The article finishes up with a link to slaveryfootprint.org where you can take a quiz to see how many slaves are currently working for you based on your current consumer habits. It takes about 5-10 minutes. According to their survey...
Well isn't that a sobering thought! But they're exactly right - knowing about the problem is the first step. I already make shopping second hand a priority for clothing, but I haven't examined slavery free options for other things, like household items, or food. Now that I know I can do (much) better, I'm making every effort to learn more in order to do more.
*Click here to read the US Department of Labor's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.
*FREE2WORK has an awesome free app that allows you to scan barcodes with your iPhone and see what part forced labor played in the production of that product.
Freedom Summit
Two weekends ago I attended a conference on human trafficking - Freedom Summit - organized by the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking. I haven't had the mental energy to sit down and fully process everything until now. I knew going into the conference that it would be eye opening, shocking, and possibly depressing. I didn't realize I would walk away with a broken heart after learning about the very worst of human conditions - and humanity.
At the conference, I finally started understanding what human trafficking really was - not just a buzzword that the more devoted social justice seekers would throw out occasionally. the most eye opening thing I learned is that trafficking exists everywhere. I met a girl at the conference who grew up in the same town as I did, and whose parents sold her for sex throughout her high school and college years (view her story here). To say that I was blown away when I first heard her story would be an understatement. I always thought I grew up in just about the safest place I could have. We never even locked our front door! I had always thought of trafficking as some far away problem, that while horrendous, definitely would never effect me. Her story forever changed how I'll see trafficking.
So, I cried for two days straight after the conference. And then I got angry. While anger isn't an emotion that will sustain a drive to heal the world, it definitely can be an excellent spark to the fire. So now, the only logical thing is to do something about it. But I keep returning to a place of overwhelm. I feel overwhelmed every time I think about trafficking. I feel overwhelmed every time I try and think about how I can really make a difference. It's a huge and mysterious problem - there aren't many numbers or statistics to provide a factual basis on how to tackle this issue. According to the Polaris Project, "Victims of human trafficking are especially difficult to identify since they often do not self-report and because the crime of trafficking is both clandestine and involves holding victims in situations against their will. " So where do I even begin?
I promise I'm not trying to make you depressed. These things are unimaginable, and painful to talk about, but nonetheless must be. But making a difference is actually easier than I thought it was. while the conference was education based, they also provided us with many tools that we could use in our daily lives. Here are three easy ways to change the world just by making simple shifts to our lifestyles:
1. Free2Work has an awesome free app that allows you to scan products and find out what part labor abuse and trafficking plays in the manufacture of that product. Download it, and use it to help guide your consumer decisions.
2. Buy Fair Trade! It's amazing how much consume power we individually hold. If we can decrease demand on products that use forced labor, than we will automatically decrease the demand of forced labor.
3. Learn to recognize the signs of trafficking, and memorize the National Human Trafficking Resource Hotline: 1-888-3737-888.
I keep going back to Isaiah 1:17 - “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.”
Seek justice. Help the oppressed. I think we can do that.
Upcoming Bay Area Faith and Social Justice Opportunities
There are some really awesome social justice and faith growing opportunities going on in the bay in the next few weeks. Just thought I would share to further spread the word about these great events!
Sue Hanna, Client Care Operations Manager from HAGAR INTERNATIONAL-Cambodia, will be coming to LAUMC this Tuesday at 7 pm to share a presentation on HUMAN TRAFFICKING. A handful of us from LAUMC were fortunate enough to hear her at the Freedom Summit on Jan. 25-26. Because of our churches connection with Hagar (due to an upcoming trip to Cambodia with 8 of LAUMC's justice advocates) she has made herself available to speak with us that evening.
RSVP to marissakconway@gmail.com if you'd be interested in going to this!
Holy Names University is hosting its 3rd Annual Bay Area Social Justice Forum on Saturday, February 2nd.
This year's plenary sessions will feature David Batstone, Co-Founder and President of "Not for Sale", a grassroots organization working to end Human Trafficking, and Rev. Deborah Lee, Director of Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Right. Rev. Lee will facilitate a panel discussion with 4 young adults who will share their experiences around immigration and how it has affected their lives. There will also be morning and afternoon workshop sessions covering the following topics: Human Trafficking, Immigration, Fracking, Poverty, Youth Homelessness, Islamaphobia, Drug War and U.S. Policy in Latin America, Talking Back to Hate, Organizing for Social Change, Restorative Justice and Prison Reform.
Online registration is open and you can register at: www.hnu.edu/SocialJustice
For all us women (sorry men) who are interested in interfaith dialogue:
Muslim Women: Myths, Reality, and Scripture
The concepts of Hijab, arranged vs. Islamic marriage, polygamy, and Prophet Mohammad's treatment of women will be discussed in the context of the current
social situation of women in the Muslim and the Western world. The
presenter will elaborate the myths and misconceptions prevalent in
the West and the actual Quranic guidance on these contemporary
topics. In the light of current allegations we will discuss Prophet
Mohammad’s treatment of women. Hosted by The Women’s Auxiliary of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Silicon Valley Chapter. Refreshments will be served.
When: Saturday February 9, 2013,1pm-3pm
Where: Baitul Baseer Mosque, 926 Evans Road, Milpitas, CA 95035
RSVP: Sabuhi Siddique - sabuhi7@hotmail.com
A Love Thought: Martin Luther King Jr.
image via The Seattle Times
"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . ." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?"
-Letter form a Birmingham Jail
Advent Conspiracy
My home church has participated for the past few years in an awesome program called Advent Conspiracy.
The general thought behind it is to turn Christmas upside down by focusing on the deeper meanings, rather than falling into the yearly trap of high stress and presents that are promptly forgotten about. The four ideas behind Advent Conspiracy are as follows:
I've decided to take these four ideas to heart and set myself Christmas Goals.
Worship Fully:
As someone who often sings in December services rather than participates, it's so easy to forget why I'm really there - not just for the Christmas music, but to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Not only am I going to try to be fully present in all worship services I attend, but I think this is an opportune time to expand my spirituality in general. I've decided that in the few weeks of lull time after Christmas, I'm going to go to a few Buddhist services, and have been talking to a friend about going with her and her boyfriend to a Muslim service (something I've been wanting to do forever!). I'm a Methodist at heart - but I've just been feeling an urge to branch out and strengthen my faith by exposing myself to different spiritual backgrounds.
Spend Less and Give More:
I particularly love the ideas of spending less, yet giving more, in terms of Christmas presents. I think of it as paying it forward - last year I made donations for the majority of my gifts to others, and picked organizations that really spoke to what they were passionate about. Of course, I still bought a few material things for people, but rather than feeling the typical consumer guilt I experience when I spend a lot, I felt thrilled to be giving money to people who need it much more than I do. This year, besides donations, I think individual time makes for a wonderful present. It's free, and means so much more.
Love All:
This year I want to challenge myself to take someone I normally wouldn't spend time with out for coffee. Definitely easier said that done for a variety of reasons, but I'm going to hold myself accountable to this - I think Love All is the most important idea behind Advent Conspiracy!
Happy advent conspiring to you all!
An Intentional Thought: Little Ways to Make a Big Difference
I think it's really easy to get overwhelmed by all the bad things going on in the world. Some of them seem way too big to even tackle alone, and some injustices are so obscure or so taboo that they're not really talked about by the general public. Luckily there are a few really easy ways to make a difference just by going about our daily life.
1. Buy Fair Trade!
"Fair Trade began modestly in the 1940s when a few small North American and European organizations reached out to poverty stricken communities to help them sell their handicrafts to well-off markets. Later, a fictional Dutch character, Max Havelaar, was developed as an advocate for exploited coffee pickers. Today, Fair Trade is a global effort. Consumers can enliven developing countries, relieve exploitation and promote environmental sustainability by purchasing Fair Trade-labeled food.
One of the most important aspects of Fair Trade is this: funds are specifically designated for social, economic and environmental development projects. However, we don’t pretend to know what’s best for each community. That’s why we’ve enabled a democratic system where each community determines how their funds are used."
Image and quote from Fair Trade USA. Read more here!
2. Shop locally at Farmer's Market's, and buy second hand when you can.
Not only are farmer's markets cheaper, but they also support local businesses, and all food is locally sourced and seasonally sold, so less gas is used in getting the food to the market (a car ride versus overseas shipping). Click here to find the one closest to you.
I'm a huge proponent of shopping second hand, because your financially supporting reusing and recycling, rather than supporting sweat shops and unhealthy labor situations. I've blogged a lot about some amazing second hand finds I've scored from Goodwill or rummage sales. My friend Meredith has an awesome thrifting blog too - view it here!
3. Finally, there are some great organizations with free, weekly ish emails that are excellent sources of information, and often have ideas on how to take action. My favorites are...
Sojourners: Faith in Action for Social Justice - http://sojo.net/sojomail
Jim Wallis is the CEO of this organization, which blends faith and politics really well.
General Board of Church and Society: Faith in Action - http://umc-gbcs.org/faith-
The Interfaith Council on Economics and Justice - http://www.wpusa.org/
This is a local organization (that I interned for last summer!) and focuses a lot on justice for lower income families in the area. Sign up at the bottom of the page.
This one is my favorite, because it's all petition based. The idea is that anyone can create a petition for whatever they would like to see change, and it really works. I have signed petitions that have caused Jamba Juice to stop using styrofome cups, released journalists from foreign detainment, and (my favorite) inspired networks to commit to having a woman moderate one of the presidential debates.
Remember, every little bit counts! So even when it seems to overwhelming, remember this about your actions:
Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. - Matthew 13:32