Two pioneers of the Fair Trade Movement will provide an inside look on
Wednesday November 15, at. 6 pm at Everybody Reads Bookstore, 2019
E. Michigan Avenue, in Lansing. Don’t miss it! Carol Richardson and Julia
Holmer will discuss the urgent need for fair trade practices in the global
economy, by touching on their unique experiences from working directly
with producers and artisans in two of the world’s poorest countries. They
will
go through steps of what we can all do to make a difference, while beautifully
handcrafted fair trade goods from the Congo (DRC) and Nicaragua will be
available for sale. Refreshments will be provided.
Rev. Carol Richardson was born and grew up in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, and after returning to the Congo in 2005, began to promote the
country’s artisans through her grassroots effort, Congo Art & Jewelry. The
Congo is the third largest country on the African continent, and since 1998,
it
has been suffering greatly from the second Congo War, the world’s deadliest
conflict since WWII. After only one year of existence, Congo Art & Jewelry
has returned over $9,000 directly back to the people of the Congo. This
effort
works with over 30 artisans, including children who make beautifully hand-
crafted wood carvings, paintings, malachite jewelry, hematite jewelry,
malachite
objets d’art, wax print fabrics, and more. Congo Art & Jewelry exists to
empower
the people and churches of the Congo to meet the needs of the poor, the
elderly,
the sick, orphans of HIV, and widows, as well as to support women through
literacy education programs and to enable artisans to make a living through
creating markets for their work.
Julia Holmer works with the Fair Trade Organization, Esperanza en Acción
(“Hope through Action”), a small, grassroots effort which empowers over 30
groups of artisans from Nicaragua, Central America. Nicaragua is the second
poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where around 70% of the
population is either unemployed or under-employed. Esperanza en Acción was
born in 2001 at the request of Nicaraguan artisans for help in finding fair
markets to sell their work. Esperanza’s mission is two-fold: 1) the
empowerment of Nicaraguan artisans, garment factory workers and coffee
farming cooperatives to lift themselves out of poverty through fair trade
and, 2) empowering the people of the “Developed” world through economic
justice education to help transform our global economic system into one that
is fair for all people. Julia currently resides in the capital city,
Managua, and is on speaker tour for the month of November.