Cafecito: discuss trade & immigration this Sunday in Newton

by Dollars & Sense

Sunday, February 4, 4 pm, at 624 Sawmill Brook Parkway in Newton

This Sunday, a friend of mine from Texas, Judith Rosenberg, is hosting a cafecito to discuss the connections between free trade, fair trade, immigration, the US economy, and anything else her guests can bring into the conversation.

I met Judith several years ago on a delegation from Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera to the Comité Fronterizo de Obrer@s, which organizes maquiladora workers on the Mexico-Texas border. Judith still works with ATCF, which has expanded its delegations from U.S.-->Mexico to include Mexico-->U.S. tours as well, through their Women and Fair Trade program.

Judith brings this experience to the cafecito, as well as a copy of a new, award-winning documentary by Austin filmmaker Heather Courtney: Letters from the Other Side. The film interweaves video letters carried across the U.S.-Mexico border by the director with the personal stories of women left behind in post-NAFTA Mexico. The film gives an intimate look at the lives of the people most affected by today's failed immigration and trade policies.

Judith and her cousin Linda Stern hosted a similar event last Sunday, which I attended. The film and the conversation were both stimulating. The topic I remember best was our discussion of fair trade and the trouble its producers have finding markets. As we were discussing fair trade tours by producers as a partial solution to the market problem, one guest* expressed her discomfort with the "ethnic" angle to fair trade—as though buyers are saying, I'll pay a fair price for your goods, but first you have to show me that you're authentic as well as oppressed.
*—Tina, if you're out there, pipe up. I didn't get your last name.

As a partial response, Judith told us about the Maquila Dignidad y Justicia that the Comité Fronterizo de Obrer@s has founded, which is turning out fair-trade t-shirts and tote bags that it sells, with the help of North Country Fair Trade in bulk in the United States. Dignidad y Justicia hopes one day to produce blue jeans, as well.

Find out more at this Sunday's cafecito, 4pm, at the home of Judith's cousin, Linda Stern. To RSVP or for directions, contact Judith at chelrose at grandecom dot net.

Labels: fair trade, free trade, globalization, immigration, NAFTA

 

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2/01/2007 08:59:00 PM