October 2024 - Fair Trade Month
Happy Fair Trade Month, everyone! This month has already been a whirlwind for us, with our nonprofit’s 32nd anniversary at the beginning of the month and our monthlong Shop & Share from string doll keychain purchases. This emergency Shop & Share will support Hurricane Helene relief for Western NC via the mutual aid group Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR). Supporting organizations who work with people experiencing displacement or natural disasters is one of the many ways Bull City Fair Trade gives back to our community, all of which circle back to fair trade. As we continue to support ROAR and share other resources for folks who were affected by the hurricane, we are thinking about the ways in which fair trade initiatives in other parts of the world contribute to mutual aid efforts. Read more below about fair trade’s connections to disaster relief and mutual aid, as well as relief initiatives led by some of our vendors!
Though fair trade is relatively new in terms of the global economy, the values of fair trade are also found in many social justice movements, especially in movements that address disaster relief and rely on mutual aid. We’ve seen this in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: many communities have come together to meet people’s basic needs in the face of job and housing insecurity, as many folks lost their jobs and became unhoused due to the pandemic. Similarly, the same thing is happening all over the southeastern US as communities continue to assess damages, rescue stranded folks, and begin to rebuild after Hurricane Helene. There are many people, some of whom are driving from Eastern North Carolina all the way to Appalachia, doing whatever they can to help: food drives, house shows raising money for mutual aid funds, or even packing up a bunch of tools to help cut down trees laying on top of houses or shovel dirt out of houses.
There are plenty of fair trade initiatives in other parts of the world doing similar work to the mutual aid efforts following Helene. The principles of fair trade do not stop at paying artisans and farmers fair wages; they extend into breaking down systems that harm people so that we can build new ones to undo the harmful effects of exploitative capitalism like poverty, marginalization, and oppression. Fair trade is only possible through the lasting support of communities who believe in it! Without pushes for ethical shopping, workers’ rights, and climate activism, fair trade would not be what it is today.
Fair Trade Month allows for us to reflect on communities coming together, including our own. From moving from our previous location on Perry Street in Durham, to surviving the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, our existence as a nonprofit store would be nothing without our community supporting us through challenging times. Read more below on how some of our vendors contribute to relief efforts all over the world!
Kamibashi Asian Art
Established in Leicester, North Carolina in 2005, Kamibashi brings traditional Thai string dolls across the ocean in the form of many animals, fantasy characters, historical figures, and more. Kamibashi empowers their artisans in Thailand by paying living wages, and also donates proceeds from some of their keychains to charitable organizations. Kamibashi’s headquarters in Leicester, NC (near Asheville & Black Mountain) was in the path of Hurricane Helene, which is why we have chosen to donate 100% of our profits from string doll sales this month to hurricane relief efforts. Luckily, the Kamibashi team was safe from the hurricane, and although their region faces a long road to recovery, we recently received news that their warehouse has regained power & internet and they are able to resume shipping orders.
To order Kamibashi string dolls online to contribute to our ongoing fundraiser for WNC relief efforts following Hurricane Helene, click here. 100% of the profits through 10/31 will be donated to Rural Organizing and Resilience (ROAR)!
Canaan
Canaan works with over 1,000 family farms in Palestine to produce olive oil and other crops. Ancient, 3,000 year old olive orchards are a testament to how dedicated these farmers are to providing quality foods and crops to their communities. In the wake of settler violence and continuous oppression from the Israeli government, Canaan provides living wages to Palestinian farmers so that they can continue to produce quality foods like they have been for over 3,000 years, as well as rebuilding communities. Many farmers live in or near places like Jenin which have come under bombardment over the past year.
Lumago
Founded in 2011, Lumago serves as a source of income for women who are still impacted by a huge typhoon that swept through their community in Dumaguete City in the Philippines. This community surrounds a dumpsite, which negatively impacts the local communities and the environment, as its runoff seeps into the Banica River. By making jewelry out of papers and plastics found in the landfill, the women of Lumago are able to earn a living wage in the wake of a natural disaster while also helping to clean up their communities. Lumago also helps their artisans by offering personal loans, savings matching, and health care assistance.