Interview With A Fair Trade College Ambassador
Valerie Lizarraga, a senior at the University of San Diego, recently organized a visit to Café Justo, a fair trade coffee cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico, to see firsthand the benefits of fair trade. Funded by a grant from Catholic Relief Services' Fair Trade Fund, a 10-member delegation visited with coffee producers to better understand the principles of fair trade. Valerie talked with CRS about the trip and her role as CRS Fair Trade Ambassador on San Diego University's campus.
- Kim Pozniak:
- What sparked your interest in fair trade and prompted you to promote it on campus?
- Valerie Lizarraga:
While I was promoting comprehensive immigration reform at my school during my first year in college, I was always fascinated at the way many people could not look beyond politics and economic factors to actually try to understand the struggle of the migrant. In attempting to make others look at this issue from a human perspective, I came to have my own questions about the root causes of migration. I learned about people's reasons for migrating, which were mainly not being able to sustain their families.
It was around this time that I attended a panel discussion on economic justice at my university. I heard from a Mexican coffee farmer who explained the benefits of fair trade. The more I learned about fair trade, the more I felt dedicated to the movement as an economic model that actually respects the dignity of producers and helps to alleviate poverty around the world, which is so different than the traditional way trade is conducted in our world today.
- Pozniak:
- What is your role as a Fair Trade Ambassador on your campus?
- Lizarraga:
- My goal is to ensure that the different communities I am connected to know about fair trade. Through this awareness, I think that people will come to be more supportive of fair trade, which helps the growth of the movement. I also hope to live out the values of fair trade throughout all facets of my daily life. Oftentimes, people say if they just would have known about fair trade they would have supported it. This is the reason why I dedicate so much of my time to spreading awareness about fair trade and its principles. I think in hearing what fair trade stands for, it is difficult to deny it as a positive alternative to the current economic model.
- Pozniak:
- What types of activities have you planned on campus?
- Lizarraga:
- I have helped to plan a Fair Trade and Sustainability Week, which included the showing of the movie Black Gold (about fair trade coffee); hosting a talk by Tommy Bassett of Café Justo, a fair trade coffee company; and also having a big Fair Trade Farmer's Market. We've also organized a fair trade food tasting at my university's coffee shop on World Fair Trade Day. One of the larger activities I helped to organize was a visit to Café Justo, a coffee cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico. My vision for this visit was that delegates could see firsthand the true benefits of fair trade for producers, and in turn, would be able to use this experience to promote fair trade in their communities.
Kim Pozniak works as a communications officer for CRS and is based in Baltimore, MD.
