Merling, Pilar and So Many Others

More and more, I think about the women who don’t have the chances I (rather accidentally) had. For me, it was the intersection of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, an excellent public high school guidance counselor, and a small, liberal arts college with deep financial aid capacities. Inevitably, as I think of the serendipity that made my life what it is, I think of all the women I have met in the Fair Trade system for whom the happy accident was Fair Trade. One of them is Merling, the head of one of the largest (and oldest) coffee co-ops in Nicaragua. When I asked her about how she came to be the head of such a large co-op in such a male dominated culture, she said, “When they asked me to take the job, they told me that they were afraid I would cry if they gave me bad news. I told them, I won’t cry, if you don’t. So far, I have not made them cry and they have not been able to make me cry.”

Another woman of whom I think is Pilar—her picture is below. I have not met Pilar yet, but when our bilingual Category Manager, Sarah Connolly, brought her story back from the Dominican Republic, I felt as if I had talked with Pilar myself. In this season of reflection and gratitude, I’d like to share her story with you.

Pilar Vilorio is a young mother of two sons who owns her own plot of land and is part of the CONACADO Fair Trade Certified™ cocoa association. This 10,000 member association recently launched an eco-tourism program, Tour de Chocolate, and Pilar is one of its pioneering guides. While hosting Tour de Chocolate, she speaks eloquently of how Fair Trade has benefited her business, her community, and her family.

Pilar is helping to diversify the ways her community is supporting itself and looking towards the future. She has aspirations to one day take on a new role at CONACADO - that of the first female regional president! Pilar’s story is a testament to the life-changing empowerment possible with Fair Trade. As you might imagine for someone who once dreamed of being the first woman on the Supreme Court, I find that Pilar’s aspiration resonates deeply. More than once it has given me an extra dose of tenacity as I wrestled with recalcitrant corporate attorneys who couldn’t quite see their way clear to signing one of our contracts without eviscerating it.

I invite you to help spread the benefits of Fair Trade by supporting TransFair USA this season. Give Gifts of Fairness to family and friends that change the world by changing opportunities for Fair Trade farmers like Pilar.

My personal favorites among the gifts of fairness are:

--The gift of a gavel for a woman (http://getinvolved.transfairusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GiftsTF_gavel ),

--The gift of a vote for a factory worker (http://getinvolved.transfairusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GiftsTF_vote), and

--The gift of shade for a coffee tree (http://getinvolved.transfairusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GiftsTF_shade).

I’m thinking of giving my mother a virtual version of the gift that the Great Society and Wesleyan University gave her 35 years ago in real life:

--The gift of an invitation to a graduation for a mother (http://getinvolved.transfairusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=GiftsTF_diploma )

If there are those on your holiday gift list who would enjoy these or any of the other wonderful gifts of fairness you see on the TransFair website, I hope you will take a moment to send one to them. These truly are the gifts that keep on giving!

With affection, gratitude, and every wish for a joyous holiday season,

Joan