Here at Manhattan College, Campus Ministry and Social Action is a big part of the activities that take place throughout the school year. Besides LaSallian Collegians and Agape Latte, they also put an emphasis on the month of October–or what they like to call, “Fair Trade Month.” Did you know that Manhattan College is an official Fair Trade school? The first in NYC!
Fair Trade supports laborers from all over the world to make sure that they are treated fairly and paid fairly. MC supports this foundation because it coincides with one of the points on the LaSallian Star: a commitment to social justice. By supporting Fair Trade and purchasing their products, students are helping out those who might have been working in poor conditions, being paid poorly and even children being forced to work despite child labor laws.
To kick off the month, Fair Trade and Catholic Relief Services provided recycled-paper beads from Beads for Life for students to make bracelets with. These beads were made by women in Uganda and, as seen from the bracelet I made above, are made with gorgeous colors! If you missed this event, don’t worry, there will be more freebies outside of Thomas Hall! In the upcoming weeks, there will be Fair Trade coffee to taste and even Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Also, in Locke’s, there will be Fair Trade food every Friday at Expo and special banana treats all month long.