DAY 18 - My DEMAND perpetuates SLAVERY

Last night I watched 3 films about modern-day slavery and human trafficking with my friends.  What a wild Friday night, I know.  The truth is we care about what's going on in this world, and we like to educate ourselves so that we can take action against injustice.  We watched a couple specials by MTV EXIT that showcase human trafficking in Asia.  I will post links to the programs tomorrow as I continue to discuss the idea of DEMAND.  Human trafficking is rampant in Asia and other far off places, but it is also taking place right here in the United States.  After the MTV programs, my fellow lover of justice, Greg, was distraught by the fact that his demand for cheap products perpetuates modern-day slavery. 

My DEMAND perpetuates SLAVERY. 

The words cut deep into my heart and push me even more into motion to change the way I buy goods.  Lately, I've been thinking about food.  Nearly every week, I go to a store and purchase food.  In the summer, I plan to buy much of my food at local farmer's markets, but in the winter, the options seem scarce.   Currently I buy chocolate and bananas that are slave free, but other than that, I have not spent much energy learning about where the rest of my food comes from.  Who picked my tomatoes?  my oranges?  What are the working conditions of those that are harvesting the food?  Are workers being exploited?  Am I supporting slave labor?

"Consumers have tremendous power, and in joining together with farmworkers, we can demand that our food is harvested under verifiable codes of conduct with a zero-tolerance policy for modern-day slavery."  I want to start spending my money on more foods that are harvested by humans who choose to work and are treated fairly, not those that are forced or exploited.  I will make shifts in my budget to support lives free from slavery.  I want my DEMAND to be not for cheap products, but for products that support sustainable living.

"The CIW [Coalition of Immokalee Workers] believes that the ultimate solution to modern-day slavery in agribusiness lies on the “DEMAND side” of the US produce market -- the major food-buying corporations that profit from the artificially-low cost of US produce picked by workers in sweatshop conditions which, in the worst cases, tip over into slavery. Ultimately, these corporations must leverage their vast resources and market influence as major produce buyers to clean up slavery and other labor abuses in their supply chains once and for all."

I don't know if the answer is to boycot all products that have the blood of slaves on them, but I have got to put more effort into being a conscious buyer.  And maybe I should ask the managers of the grocery stores where I buy food where the tomatoes and oranges come from and if they don't know and/or don't care, maybe I go to a different store to buy my food.