Citizen-Consumer Reflection: Strength in the Commitment of Many

By Susan Redlich, Equal Exchange Board Director representing one of three Citizen-Consumer elected seats on the Equal Exchange Board

Deep Roots

Thirty-seven years ago, I did not identify primarily as a consumer, and the label still doesn’t quite fit, but I did identify as a citizen open to learning how Nicaraguans were creating more equal social relationships. When volunteering with newly formed sewing cooperatives, I met small farmers who shared stories of how they never were paid a fair price by the buyers of the fruits of their hard labor. I became a small bridge of sales of Nica coffee beans through Equal Exchange. At the same time, consumers were eager for an alternative to large corporate brands of coffee. Equal Exchange didn’t have a name for us, but we were there.  We had the satisfaction of choosing coffee that had a name and address and farmworker-owners.

Fast forward to the Equal Exchange organization of today. Now we’re known as Citizen-Consumers, with 3 seats on the governing Board, and monthly member meetings by Zoom. We are an essential component of the trio that defines Equal Exchange: worker-owners, small farmer cooperatives, and consumers that value alternative trade relationships with democratic coops.

What motivates me now to be part of Equal Exchange? 

I can see more clearly that I am a citizen that can “vote” my values for sustainability—of the earth, of small farmers, of more democratic economies. What I’m realizing is that Equal Exchange represents climate justice in action—when you think of all the citizen consumers making conscious decisions in their purchases to preference organic small farmers. I like the feeling of not being alone; there is strength in the commitment of many.

When I joined the Equal Exchange Board, I wondered how I might personally further the mission. I began by exploring the website, with its wealth of educational resources. Okay, I thought to myself, I can educate folks about Equal Exchange by starting a buying club—a monthly EE sales table at the church coffee hour. While the sales volume is modest, the educational value is what I am after. I ask the buyer, “would you like to meet the people that produced this (chocolate, coffee, olive oil, etc.)?” Then I show the website with the farmer cooperatives for each product.

“What I’m after is promoting a food system where I know who grows the food I eat (thank you, local CSA farm), where grocery store retailers give ample shelf space to cooperative businesses and independent food companies (thank you, member food coops), where farmworkers can earn a living wage (thank you, Equal Exchange), and where land is farmed sustainably (thank you, coop organic farmers).”

Nowadays we must take our activism up a notch. That’s why I’m grateful that Equal Exchange offers many opportunities for collective action by Citizen-Consumers, for example, committing 5% of food purchases from Equal Exchange, pooling purchases of Equal Exchange products among friends, urging elected officials to stop mega-mergers of food retailers, or co-sponsoring events for climate justice.