In 1988, Medea Benjamin, Kevin Danaher, Kathie Klarreich and Kirsten Moller founded Global Exchange. The formation of the organization was rooted in the increasing interdependence of national economies and the subsequent need to build political alliances across national boundaries to protect the economic, social and political rights of all people.
Their Vision: To create an organization based upon education-for-action which would support and partner with the international grassroots movement fighting for these human rights.
And the rest, is history...
1988
Major Accomplishments Launched Radio Show
Publications Bridging the Global Gap
1989
Major Accomplishments Drafted "New Spirit of Internationalism"; Set up Lafontant Joseph Memorial Fund for Human Rights in Haiti; Organized Honduras Peace Conference; Organized Art shows to raise money for human rights funds
Speaker Tours Graca Micehl (Mozambique); Gladys Lanzaa (Honduras); Juan Almendares (Honduras); Eliva Alvarado (Honduras)
Reality Tours Launched Launched Mozambique; Haiti; Israel/Palestine; Hondurus; Brazil; El Salvador;
Publications Don't Be Afraid Gringo; The Peace Corps and More
1990
Major Accomplishments Building stronger partnerships: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia; North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) article on Cuba; US Exchange for Life (Cuban Doctors brought to US); Mandela released-Celebration event at Oakland Coliseum; First annual, Reggae in the Park festival; Opened San Francisco Fair Trade Store; Support for Activists against World Bank at Narmada; No Blood for Oil campaign launched; Opened office in Honduras
Speaker Tours Sister Bernard (South Africa); Panama Tour
Reality Tours Launched India; Cuba; South Africa; Zimbabwe
Publications Beyond Safari
1991
Major Accomplishments Opened office in South Africa; End the Cold War against Cuba campaign launched; Student mobilization (action kits released) against the Gulf War; Support for Grassroots Democracy Fund in Haiti; Coup in Haiti—Restore Democracy campaign; Opened DC office; Opened Berkeley Fair Trade Store; Drafted Principles of Internationalism (solidarity statement)
Reality Tours Launched Jamaica
1992
Major Accomplishments Help found National Fair Trade Federation; South Africa and Cuba Partnership program established; Partner with Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and (ACLIFEM)(labor and health); Language program at Mar de Jade; Reagan era ends: more opportunities for policy input(!); Partner with health organization in Honduras and Cuba
Speaker Tours South Africa; Cuba; Honduras
Reality Tours Launched Washington, DC; Mexico NAFTA; Senegal/Gambia; Native American reservation
1993
Major Accomplishments Freedom to Travel campaign launched (30 trips, 175 participants!); Grassroots development efforts in Honduras and Vietnam; Domestic support for Culture on the Corner; Haiti—Cry for Justice campaign launched; Asia program launched (Vietnam and Cambodia: My Lai Revolving fund, Girl's scholarship program, Partnership with Khemera in Cambodia); Organized World Bank seminars and founded 50 Years is Enough; Conference on the role of UN Peacekeeping; New definition of "development" post-Cold War; GATT/NAFTA work
Speaker Tours Dith Pran; Haunani-Kay Trask
Reality Tours Launched Puerto Rico; Brazil
Publications Talking About Revolution; Green Revolution
1994
Major Accomplishments Mill Valley Fair Trade Store opens; Freedom to Travel campaign; Campaign to Exempt Food and Medicine (Cuba); Lawsuit against US Government for Right to Travel to Cuba (in response our bank account was frozen!)
1995
Major Accomplishments 87 person delegation to Women's Conference in China; Student trips to Cuba; Volunteers to Chiapas; Chiapas-Guatemala exchange; Establish Peace House in Mexico; Cambodian Exchange interns; Divestment—World Bank Bonds; Freedom to Travel campaign continues (48 chapters strong!); Set up Association for Free Trade with Cuba; Helped to found Cuban American Alliance; Material aid for Grassroots projects
Reality Tours Launched Zimbabwe
Publications 50 Years is Enough; Fighting for the Soul of Brazil
1996
Major Accomplishments NIKE campaign launched—Indonesia tour; East Timor—Jose Ramos-Horta event; Emergency Mexico delegation; 35 long-term volunteers to Mexico; Soy Cubano
Speaker Tours Mexico Debt: El Barzon
Reality Tours Launched Exploring California; Cuba Language School; Elections monitoring; Sister-to-Sister tour; Sustainable Development
Publications Corporations Are Gonna Get Your Mama; Islands On Fire (VIDEO)
1997
Major Accomplishments Living wage debates; Task force on sweatshops; Expand Mexico work to Oaxaca, Guerrero, DF; Indonesia elections; Burma boycott; Brazil street children—Benedita board; Mexico: Challenge militarization, international conference, repression
Publications One Struggle, One Change (VIDEO)
1998
Major Accomplishments Fall of Suharto; NIKE victories!!!; Jennifer Harbury—Truth Commission in Guatemala; IMF $80 billion Brazilian boondoggle; Mexico: End US training and material support of Mexican military, protest human and civil rights abuses, election observation
Speaker Tours Palden Gyatso (Tibet); Hafsat Abiola (Nigeria)
Reality Tours Launched Middle East; Northern Ireland; Juvenile Justice; Brazil Women's Exchange
1999
Major Accomplishments GAP campaign; former Saipan sweatshop worker, Chie Abad, joins Global Exchange in San Francisco; Patch Adams to Cuba; Lilith Faire; School of Americas (SOA) protests; Mexican election observations in Guerrero; Focus on immigration in Mexico problems; Seattle—WTO protest; Foreigners of Conscience in Mexico; Fair Trade coffee campaign launched; Principle for Rights of Workers in China; Leonard Peltier Freedom Campaign; Colombia: Dispel Myth of Drug War; 10 Reasons to Oppose the WTO; Brazil Campaign (against World Bank undermining agrarian reform; Support for MST in Brazil (Landless Rural Workers Movement); East Timor referendum
Publications Sweating for a T-shirt (VIDEO)
2000
Major Accomplishments China factory visit; Nigeria oil export; Colombia campaign launched; Mexico City office opened; Electronic activism promoted; GAP posters; Democracy campaign launched; Democratic National Convention demonstrations and roadshow; Debt cancellation campaign; Elian Gonzales; Exploring global economy in your local community; Starbucks Victory!!! (announce they will begin to sell Fair Trade Certified coffee)
2001
Major Accomplishments NIKE report; First annual, Global Exchange Human Rights Awards; California energy crisis work; FTAA work; Campaign finance; Israel/Palestine campaign; Cuban International Environmental Conference
Publications MST film
2002
Major Accomplishments Inspections not Invasion—Iraq; Code Pink women's vigil at White House; Afghan Victim's fund; Palestine fellow—tour of Diana Butto legal advisor to PLO; FTAA hearings/community forums; General Gallardo from Mexico speaking on militarization of the region; Cuban International Environmental Conference; Fair Trade Chocolate action pack and activity book released; Responsible Coffee Initiative; Delegation to UN World Summit on Sustainable Development; First annual, Green Festival (hosted in San Francisco); Bike-Aid joins Global Exchange from Just Act
Speaker Tours Colombia, War on Drugs
Reality Tours Launched Iran
2003
Major Accomplishments Code Pink International Women's Day events and delegation; United for Peace and Justice Coalition (UFPJ) formed; Afghanistan sister schools; Peace Action Packs completed; Delegation to Montes Azules to investigate military abuses in Mexico; Toured Cuban Children's theater group: Colmenitas; Initiated Fair Harvest Exchange program; Austin Green Festival; Organizing Cancun and Miami against corporate globalization; Clean Car campaign launched; Planet Walk in Cuba; Tri-national tour about FTAA; Opened Occupation Watch Center; Opened Portland Fair Trade Store; Proctor & Gamble announces their sale of Fair Trade Certified coffee
Speaker Tours Politics of Fear; Azmi Mishara (Palestine); Adriana Para (Colombia); Luis Murillo (Colombia); Antonia Juhasz (privatization); Gopal Dayanemi (Politics of Oil); Bernardo Alvarez (Venezuela)
Reality Tours Launched Afghanistan; Argentina; Colombia; Venezuela; Vietnam
Publications Insurrection: Citizen Challenge to Corporate Power
2004
Major Accomplishments Fair Election Delegation: First-ever international observation of US Elections; First DC Green Festival
2005
Major Accomplishments National voting rights meeting in Atlanta for anniversary of Voting Rights Act; San Francisco Sweatfree Ordinance
2006
Major Accomplishments Public financing for the San Francisco mayor's race; Creation of California Campus Climate Challenge steering committee; Nationwide media coverage of actions at LA & NY Auto Show; UC Climate Neutral resolution adopted; National peace majority; 2006 Mid-term national elections; Separation of Oil and State; Mexico DF Wal Mart Demonstration
Speaker Tours Iraqi Voices Project; Oil Impacted Communities
Reality Tours Launched Venezuela language school; Iraqi parliamentarians and leaders of US peace movement meet in Middle East
2007
Major Accomplishments Oakland passes peace resolution; Portland Sweatfree Ordinance; First Chicago Green Festival; Record breaking attendance at SF Green Festival; US-Mexico Trade & Migration campaign launched; Pavley Lawsuit dismissed; Reverse- trick or treating reaches 40,000; Actions at LA Auto Show make national media headlines; No War No Warming; Launched GX Fair Trade Chocolate line; Guantanamo Action and Detainees released
Speaker Tours Push and Pull: Free Trade & Immigration Speaking Tour; Green Economy Book Tour
Reality Tours Launched No Military Bases Ecuador International Coalition
Publications Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots
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