c_atta/AdobeStock.com
Sandra Yeyati, J.D., is a professional writer and editor. Reach her at SandraYeyati @gmail.com.
Whitney Young High School Students Practice
Fair Trade Activism by Maya Westbrook, Lila Aspin and Vivian Miltner
W
Photo credit Lila Aspin
hitney Young’s Fair Trade Club was founded in 2018, and focuses on the fair trade movement and the many social and environmental issues that surround it. Recently, with the help of Metropolis Coffee (MetropolisCoffee.com) and Chicago Fair Trade (ChicagoFairTrade.org), as well as donations from other fair trade companies, Whitney Young’s Fair Trade Club has opened a coffee shop within their school in order to promote fair trade coffee. Whitney Young High School’s They are currently selling fair trade tea, Fair Trade Coffee Café hot chocolate and Metropolis Coffee to students every morning and are working on expanding their product range. The club plans to donate any profits to mental health and workers rights organizations. The club also holds events for their school community to educate the student body about these issues and integrate fair trade into the goods sold at school. Some of their past events include clothing swaps, school-wide fundraisers with fair trade-related activities, hosting speakers such as former child laborer Nasreen Sheikh, who inspired the founding of the club and movie screenings. One member says, “Joining the fair trade movement changed my life. From meeting lifelong friends to discovering my future career path, fair trade has forever altered the way I view the world and my place in it.” The club holds biweekly meetings with all of its members with each meeting focusing on a different aspect of fair trade. At these meetings, the club’s executive board presents on a range of informative Lila Aspin, Vivian Miltner and Maya Westbrook showing samples of topics from fast fashion to human trafficking and fair trade labels. fair trade coffee Photo courtesy Aria Hoesley
farmers market, so there’s less opportunity for it to be mishandled or cross-contaminated. It carries the name of the producer on it. This is their life’s work, and their reputation is on that label. I sense that there’s a real desire to ensure great quality and safety.” Regularly buying fresh food from a farmers market allows families to get into the habit of eating in season. “Cooking seasonally allows you the opportunity to capture the incredible flavor profiles of what’s fresh. It has just been picked and tastes incredible—very different from the flavors you get from grocery store products that were produced someplace else, maybe even weeks or months ago,” Maxwell explains. Myhre concurs: “If we can build our habits, cooking preferences and skills around those seasonal rhythms, that’s a really beautiful benefit. It’s awesome for me to know that these herbs were harvested yesterday. There’s also a wide diversity of products. You’re not going to see 12 varieties of squash at your big-box grocery store. I’m always surprised by what I see, and it’s a really fun experience as somebody who loves food. Taking home really great-tasting products that were produced with so much care is a central benefit.” For many, the farmers market is a community gathering. In addition to local growers, they often include cottage food vendors offering homemade jams and jellies, baked goods, sauces, preserved and pickled items and other delicious foods, as well as arts and crafts vendors and musical entertainment. “The wonderful thing about the farmers market is that it leads with joy,” Myhre says. “It’s fun. You don’t invite friends to the grocery store, but you might meet your friends for coffee at the farmers market.”
For more information, visit FairTradeCampaigns.org/campaign/whitney-young-high-school. Maya Westbrook, Lila Aspin and Vivian Miltner are founding members of Whitney Young’s Fair Trade club. They are interns with Chicago Fair Trade and co-host the Chicago Fair Trade Podcast, Rethink Ethical. Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, located at 211 S. Laflin St., is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. For more information, visit WYoung.org.
“There is this invisible dividend in the Fair Trade world … It’s Hope, Pride and Dignity, because people are solving their own problems through Fair Trade.” ~Paul Rie, CEO of Fair Trade USA March 2022
39
