Chocolate and extreme poverty are words that aren’t often synonymous, but to some people in Third World countries, chocolate can mean slavery, poverty and exploitation.
The Ohio University chapter of ONE, the grassroots campaign and advocacy organization committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, is hoping to make a difference with Peace, Love and Fair Trade Tuesday night.
The event, sponsored and funded by the International Student Union, will feature fair trade chocolate, a petition for Hershey to raise their labor standards and a screening of the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate.
“This film gives an in-depth look at how chocolate is produced, which includes the exploitation of child labor in Africa,” said Allison Ragland, president of ONE and a junior studying creative writing, playwriting and journalism.
The film makes people think about where products come from, which is rarely done on a daily basis, Ragland said.
“It is the intention of most corporations to keep their customers completely blind to the processes by which their products were created,” she said. “But as a consumer, it is always important to know what companies might not tell you.”
The Fair Trade chocolate is being provided to shed some light on why Fair Trade products — those made without the exploitation of workers — is best, said Taylor Macy, vice president of ONE and a sophomore studying environmental and plant biology.
“Because Valentine’s Day is a week after the film screening, we are hoping that people will buy fair trade chocolate for their sweethearts after watching this video,” she said. “Any product that is bought fair trade will help decrease unfair treatment of workers and eliminate extreme poverty, which is the purpose of ONE.”
Krista Coleman, treasurer for ONE and a sophomore who has yet to declare a major, said she hopes students and consumers in general learn about how they can prevent extreme poverty and exploitation.
“There are so many people in the world who are exploited by big, irresponsible companies who do not have all of their workers best interest at hand,” she said. “We want as many people as possible to know about these injustices that are being done and what they can do to support companies that provide employees with a fair wage for their work and are treated with respect.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
