Hey All,
Since the beginning of the semester I have been apart of the Social Justice and Advocacy group led by Ryan Moratta. At times it has been truly inspirational while some days I am left wanting.
I regretfully missed our first outing due to schedule conflictions, so I cannot comment on the trip to a recently homeless shelter that other members of the group could. However I have been to every other occurrence.
The first and quite possibly most influential meet was a trip to Joe's Fair Trade Coffee. Not only does the coffee taste better than Americanized coffees, which apparently contain less percentages of true coffee grinds (Joe said the USA only requires 65-70 percent of American coffee grounds to contain true coffee grinds), but the fact that you know that the people behind the rich textured flavorful cappechinoes, lattes, the's, and coffee flavors were awarded fair pay. Due to this fair pay, the villagers and farmers who used to live on barely five USD a week had enough to substantially increase their incomes, lifestyles, and education for the children of the community.
If that wasn't enough, Joe told us the origin of his Fair Trade Coffee. Similar to our Social Justice and Advocacy group, Joe was inspired to take a trip to South America. In essence the group of Americans changed the lives of every one of the townspeople that they came across. Despite the fact that the trip was informative, emotional, and heartbreaking, Joe and his service group took it to the next level. Fair Trade representatives were sent to Similar South American towns who would inform the proper exchange rates for coffee beans, ways to transport the beans before they dry-rot, and how to barter with traders for increases or decreases in price based on the surplus or shortage of local coffee beans.
The true importance of this experience for the Social Justice and Advocacy Group was the revelation that A SINGLE person can make a difference as long as they never let the faults of man keep them down. Joe told us how all his friends and family had originally told him his plan was idiotic, lacked true vision, and would eventually bankrupt him. As of now, Joe has expanded his venues through friends and similar Coffee Shops opened not only by Joe's personal friends, but random customers who were inspired by Joe's cause. On a side not the fact that his coffee was much better as well as cheaper than the typical Starbucks didn't hurt either. Point of it all though still comes to the fact that one person can make a difference as long as the put in the fight.
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Over the next couple of weeks we have been mainly fighting for the rights of recently and lifelong homeless during the Election of Barrack Obama. Mainly through phonebacking, we have found that while some generally desire to commit to their patriotic duties, others condemned us for our actions. This opened my eyes in a sense because I used to think that every needs to vote, should vote upon free will, and has a genuine want to vote. Apparently some people cannot be bothered to let their voices heard or were angered that someone kept calling them to make sure they had all their information trequired to vote.
Patrick
Tonight our service required that we attend the Town Meeting in response to the racist remarks of an ignorant onschool property. Regretably I missed the first Town Hall meeting which caused a frenzy of people to find a new sense of solidarity. People who have never seen evidence of racism, sexism, ect. now have something to bond over. Through the combined resources of the school hierarchy and the students numerous proposals were, are, and in the making. The school is fully backing the majority to the point that all future freshman starting 2010 will be required take a course on solidarity, globalization, or the like. Hopefully it is one more positive step towards the solidarity that we want and expect of our Institution and all involved with its affairs.
Patrick
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