Deborah James and Medea Benjamin pushing Starbucks to go Fair Trade, 1999.

We’re going to raise $25,000 by midnight on Dec. 31st.

Over the past 25 years, you have helped Global Exchange:

• transform the unfair practices of corporate giants like Nike, GAP, and Starbucks;
• build a thriving Fair Trade movement;
• monitor elections in Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S. and;
• build the Green Festival – the nation’s largest sustainability event.

Your support made all this, and much more, possible. Renew your commitment to social justice by making a donation today.

As we set our sights on the next 25 years, with your support we will reform U.S. gun laws, force Hershey’s to go Fair Trade, and continue to oppose unjust policies in the U.S. and abroad.

Your continued support will help us build an unstoppable movement for change.

Please donate today and make great things possible:

• One Hundred $25 gifts will cover the cost of a trip to Ethiopia to meet with Fair Trade cooperatives and develop increase relationships with local artisans.

• Fifty $100 gifts will tour a speaker from the frontlines of the drug war in Mexico, educating and inspiring thousands across the U.S. to change the broken policies that are fueling this tragic war.

• Five $250 gifts will sponsor a year-long youth fellowship to inspire and train the leaders of tomorrow.

• Twenty-five $1,000 gifts will support all creative actions we have planned in 2013 to expose the havoc that lobbyists are wreaking on our democracy.

Want to see what we have accomplished in 2012? Watch this video (or re-visit our winter, spring, summer and fall roundups) to find out:

If we can accomplish all that in one year, think of what we have in store for the next 25 years!

Give today and ring in another year full of social justice victories.

Here’s a very special video with highlights from our year, and we do mean “our” because we cannot do the work we do without YOU!

Please consider this your official invitation to JOIN US in this unstoppable movement for change. Together we are strong.

The following blog is a guest post from Michael T. McPhearson, National Coordinator, United For Peace and Justice:

—

Americans demand good paying jobs; corporations and the rich pay their fair share; protection of our social safety net; significant cuts to runaway Pentagon spending; and an end to the War in Afghanistan. We must not let up – we must continue to remind our elected officials who they represent.  Together our voices can make a difference.

The next few weeks are critical as Congress and the President negotiate over the budget. Wall Street CEOs and war hawks have descended on Washington, DC and are all over the news telling Americans we must lower our expectations – that we need to understand that the U.S. simply can’t afford to maintain programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. We can’t let the money and power of CEOs and war hawks influence our election mandate.

Please take action today with United for Peace & Justice petition and call your Congressperson to remind them that America needs jobs, not wars! More information is available at our website, www.jobs-not-wars.org.

TAKE ACTION on and after December 5th:

Thank you for taking action and speaking up!

• United for Peace and Justice
• Veterans For Peace
• Military Families Speak Out

Exactly 13 years after the #N30 actions to shut down the WTO, Global Exchange returns to Seattle with a similar message: #StopTPP!

We all know free trade agreements are politically, economically, and environmentally harmful.

But this weekend at TPPxBorder, hearing people speak to the real consequences of these deals brought my understanding of the dangers of these Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to a very human scale.

Listening to the voices of people who are affected by these FTAs – a pulp mill worker from Everett, WA, who got laid off two years before pension, HIV positive people who won’t be able to afford life-saving medication because of patent laws that protect profits instead of access, a Philippine woman who was forced to leave her family in search of work – these voices remind me that free trade isn’t just an ‘issue’ to discuss or debate. Free trade is about about profits at the expense of people’s health and safely. About trade over ethics. About politics over people and planet.

Free trade ‘agreements’ are anything but consensual.

In fact, the only partnering happening in the TransPacific ‘Partnership’ is is the stitching together of the 1%- corporations and politicians-  whilst the entirety of civil society is excluded and ignored… for now.

That’s why on Saturday December 1, a crowd of hundreds gathered at the U.S.-Canada border to demonstrate our unity and solidarity against the TransPacific Partnership. Representatives from four of the 13 negotiating countries – along with New Zealand by phone – spoke of the risks that the TPP presents to their communities, and the powerful international unity being built to stand up and protect our dignity, our planet, and our human rights.

Jill Mangaliman, Philippine U.S. Solidarity Organization pusoseattle.wordpress.com/

We called this one TPPxBorder: The People’s Round. What I loved about this rally wasn’t only the fiery speakers, the diversity, the music, the unity, the hot coffee, and the ultra-legitimacy of our opposition to this heinous version of the TPP…. what I loved was learning about what an alternative deal would look like- one by and for the people. Listening to speakers and experts articulately describe what fair trade looks like, what it offers communities internationally, reminds me why these fights are so important, and the promise of real, practical, and respectful trade solutions. We have answers – now is the time to join hands and fight for them.

After our rally, and piñata action (in which people managed to overcome ‘blindfolds’ of corporate greenwashing and lobbyist money to finally destroy the TPP piñata and release the affordable jellybean ‘medicines’ and GMO-free popcorn trapped inside!) we headed indoors to a warm meal and strategy sessions to plan future action.

Global Exchange & Witness for Peace co-led a “Social Media to #StopTPP” breakout group to discuss “Twitterstorming”  the corporations secretly negotiating TPP.

The breakout group I co-lead was about how we can use social media to #StopTPP. Our strategy is to call out the corporations negotiating the TPP in secret… and put their secrets in public view on social media channels. This week, our coalition members are calling out two corporate interests a day on their ties to the TPP… would you like to join the Twitterstorm? Just follow @GlobalExchange and @ElectDemocracy on Twitter, then retweet our actions every day this week at 11am and 2pmPST to help spread the word about #StopTPP using the very follower lists that these corporations have built. We can use your help and you can participate from anywhere.

The TransPacific Partnership is on a 1%-gilded beltway and it’s moving fast. But there is time (and enough of us) to stop it. The first thing we all can do is help spread the word. None of us can afford another NAFTA. Help us get the last 250,000 signatures needed this year to reach 1 million on the Avaaz petition against the TPP! And ask your organization to sign the Unity Statement.

VIDEO: Unity Statement at TPPxBorder Rally Dec. 1, 2012

For more information about the TransPacific Partnership and what you can do to stop it, see “10 Reasons to Oppose the TPP.” Thank you for supporting Fair Trade this holiday season, and telling corporations negotiating the TPP in secret exactly what you think of them. Together, we can #StopTPP.

That’s right folks, the sign says “Free Trade, my Ass!”

Are you a Global Exchange supporter? Yes? Well then, you are pretty incredible, it’s true.

Throughout our near-25 years we’ve been proud to share the esteemed company of thousands of passionate, bold, and dedicated people, like you.

Your volunteering, your steady contributions, your protesting (at home and on the streets), your consideration for socially responsible travel, your Fair Trade shopping and your faith in justice – all of these actions mean the difference between dreaming a better world for people and the planet and actually making it happen.

To express our gratitude, some Global Exchange staff members gathered together recently to come up with a way to thank the people who make all of our work possible. 

The result is this short n sweet video filled with messages of thanks that come from the bottom of our hearts. We hope you enjoy it! (Oh, and keep an eye out for Abad’s cameo – Global Exchange’s friendly Labrador – who got caught with his tongue out!)

Does the gratitude train stop here?

Not at all!

This week, we’re also sharing stories of a few (five, to be exact) of the amazing individuals, like you, who make our work possible:

• Matt Ramsden, member and supporter, who keeps buying prize drawing tickets even though he has not won yet, all to support the work he cares about.
• Jenny White, superstar volunteer, chocolate lover, and scourge to corporate lobbyists.
• Jennifer Carino, former employee turned Global Exchange Monthly Supporter.
• Lea Murray, took a Reality Tour to Venezuela and came home inspired to share what she’d seen.
• and Lyla Seo, puts her values first when she shops Fair Trade at our San Francisco store.

There you have it, two different mediums, one important message, to say:

Thank you.

P.S. If you want to see all of the thank you pictures from the video (plus a few extras!), you can check them out at your leisure on our Facebook page.

While many may refer to November 6th as a finish line, let’s switch the metaphor: November 6th is the starting point.

In the long distance haul to Elect Democracy for a change, let’s not waste a moment on the bleachers after the election.

Get a head start on post-election democracy by hosting a documentary film screening November 12-18. Join people around the country to screen a new documentary film called Heist: Who Stole the American Dream, and How We Can Get it Back.

 A lot is at stake in this election. Yet no matter who claims the White House and Congressional seats, if we’re going to challenge Wall Street Sugar Daddies calling the shots in DC, we have our work cut out for us.

Host a film screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary Heist to do three crucial things:

1. Gather with your community after this expensive, post-truth election and channel your frustration and desire for change.
2. Learn and locate the extreme political power that the corporate 1% has amassed over decades. (Remember, this election certainly isn’t the be-all end-all of challenging our big corporate problem.)
3. Set the stage to talk about defining, reclaiming, and protecting real democracy. Move past post-election blues and stay active working with us to take action locally to hold Congress accountable to people.

Can you help build power and hope beyond the election? We need you. Sign up today to host a screening of Heist: Who Stole the American Dream and How We Can Get it Back. Here at Global Exchange, we’ll help you plan everything, every step of the way.

Here’s what some film critics had to say about Heist:

“… HEIST is well timed as a one-stop summary of reasons for ordinary Americans to be furious at our financial systems. Its last third turns from compiling past outrages to encouraging activism, making this snappy, solid docu an ideal candidate for savvy distribs to jump on immediately. With grassroots marketing, pic could ride the wave of burgeoning Occupy Wall Street-related protests as a ready-made primer.”
—Dennis Harvey, Variety

“Perhaps the best film yet about the roots of today’s economic conditions in the U.S., domination of public policy by corporate interests, and grassroots resistance that has emerged in the past few years.”
—TheWorkSite.org

TAKE ACTION:
Watch the Heist film trailer and sign up to host a screening by October 22!

We want to change the world.

And you, reading this post – you’re probably a world changer, too.  You probably know just how difficult it can be.

It’s an ambitious aim, for sure.  But we know it’s possible because we’ve been changing the world for over two decades, with the support of people like you.  We’ve helped make Fair Trade a household name, turned public attention to unfair trade policy and the need to limit corporate power, opened eyes about Cuba, sent tens of thousands of conscientious travelers around the world with Reality Tours, trained the next generation of green leaders, and much much more.

But we’re not done yet.  A new year is just around the corner, and we’ve got some big plans for the coming years.  I would like to introduce you to our vision for 2011 and beyond:

An Open World– A world where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Open Eyes — Providing a depth of analysis, branded by a rational compassionate and revolutionary perspective.

Open Minds – Embracing new thinking in envisioning the world we want, and putting it into action.

Open Arms – Relating to others – both locally and around the world – with understanding and empathy.

With that end in mind, I will share stories in a series of blog posts right here on our People to People blog about the ways folks are working towards making an Open World.  Stories of struggle, of triumph, of the simple ways people are connecting to make the world a better place.  You’ll read about a sweatshop worker from the Philippines who went toe to toe with big corporations.  A Detroit woman who is working to build a new economy.  Five year old Fair Trade advocates.

I’m sure you have plenty of stories of your own, too.  That’s why we want to hear from you.

What are you interested in hearing about?  What has inspired you?  What should be done differently?  Share your stories of opening minds, opening arms, and opening eyes.  Shoot me a line at Corey@globalexchange.org and let me know what moves you. I just might share it in this blog series or online for all the world to see!

To read more stories and see what other folks have to say, click here.

To get an early jump on your end of the year giving, visit our donation page.  Ready to give?  Click Here.

I look forward to hearing your stories — and changing the world with you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is Part 2 in an 8-Part

Today Global Exchange’s Corey Hill thanks GEMS member Debbie Bruell

I’m thankful for Debbie Bruell.  Debbie’s a big part of what makes Global Exchange a success, yet before I called to ask whether she minded if I wrote about her, she didn’t even know what a big deal she was!

Debbie, you see, is a part of the Global Exchange Monthly Sustainers Program (GEMS).  GEMS allows donors to set up an automated monthly donation.  They choose the amount.  They provide the payment information.  We take care of the rest.  Every month, Debbie and hundreds of other GEMS make an automated donation to Global Exchange’s work.  Without even thinking about it, they’ve helped make our work easier and more effective.

I talked to Debbie last spring for the first time just after the B.P. Oil Spill. She was as upset as I was about the disaster in the Gulf, and she wanted to do something about it.  So to help fund our new work around clean energy, Debbie agreed to increase her monthly giving, just like that.

That’s the beauty of it, and that’s why folks like Debbie are so special.  Their regular donations allow Global Exchange to keep the doors open and our work going.

That’s why I’m thankful for Debbie Bruell.  She made the commitment to peace, economic justice, and a clean environment, and honors her commitment once a month. In return, we honor our commitment to her and other GEMS folks by working hard every day towards the world they (and you) want.  It’s a good system.  One, I think, for which we can all be thankful. –Corey Hill

Thanks to Debbie and all of our GEMS folks!

If you’d like to join Debbie and others in becoming a monthly sustainer, here’s the place to go.

Who are YOU thankful for? Add your own thank you message in the Comments section to recognize someone you think is doing great social justice work. And if you feel so inspired, Retweet and Share this post to help spread the recognition all of our ‘Thankees’ deserve. Thank YOU.

Last week, the Brower Youth Awards presented a new set of awardees at the 2010 ceremony and one of the inspiring individuals was one of our own: De’Anthony Jones.

De’Anthony Jones, a recent graduate of Mission High School in San Francisco, was one of the motivated students involved in our Environmental Service Learning Initiative (ESLI) Program. It was through ESLI that De’Anthony cultivated his passion for environmental and social justice work.

De’Anthony’s engages youth of color in the environmental movement through integrating community learning, environmental service, teacher-student partnerships, collaboration with community-based organizations, and hands-on learning. He is helping to create a new youth culture that takes environmental stewardship as a given.

Seeing De’Anthony around the office and talking to him, you could just sense a real leader in him. His willingness to learn from everything around him, especially from the community and from the environment, his positive attitude is infectious and motivating. Upon returning from the US Social Forum earlier this year, he gave a report back of his powerful experience in Detroit. He spoke of the connections made with people and also the earth. He shared words about the importance of environmental justice and the need to educate and collaborate. A reverse industrial revolution was needed he said, a human revolution, and we know that with De’Anthony as one of the leaders, he can make it happen.

A former SF youth commission chairperson, Black Student Union president, ESLI youth advisory co-president, Global Exchange youth board member, and now a Sacramento State student with a double focus on Government & Sociology, watch and hear De’Anthony speak about his work and the impact ESLI has made on him and the impact he has made on his fellow youth and the rest of his community.

Global Exchange is proud, honored and inspired by De’Anthony. Congratulations to him and to the rest of the 2010 Brower Youth Award winners.