Traveling to the developing world for the first time has aroused a mix of emotions for me. As I sit in my light-flickering room in the rather hot, however charming lodge in Winneba, a small town of Ghana, I’m beginning to decompress my feelings about what I’ve seen and experienced: I visited a slum and …
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Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). In general, I’m pretty skeptical of the “International Day of [fill in the blank]” model. It will take a lot more than a single day of rallies and media coverage to bring about lasting change. Ultimately, though, IDAHO offers the chance to inspire and applaud collective …
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James Kofi Annan, founder and executive director of AJWS’s grantee Challenging Heights, has won the prestigious $100,000 Grinnell College Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize. Amazing! With 1,000 nominees from 66 countries, the competition was fierce, but Annan stood out as one of only three activists to be awarded the prize. His story is both …
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The count-down is on for Global Circle’s inaugural trip to Ghana! In just a few days, 15 Jewish young professionals from around the country will join AJWS to explore the cultural and political dynamics that drive poverty and injustice in Ghanaian society. Trip participants will roll up their sleeves for a service project, and meet …
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Do you love tilapia? I do. But after reading yesterday’s New York Times article about unregulated tilapia farming, I’ll think twice before I order my next fillet. Last year, more than 52 million pounds of fresh tilapia were exported to the United States, mostly from Latin America, as well as 422 million more pounds of …
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This week’s food justice highlights from around the globe: Mexican trial of GM maize stirs debate [AlertNet] Women must get their fair share of climate finance [AlertNet] In Uganda, as food prices bite, HIV-positive people turn to kitchen gardens [IRIN] In Burundi, thousands need food aid after a poor crop season [IRIN] Biofuels make a …
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Today is Earth Day and something ground-breaking just happened in Bolivia. The country passed the Law of Mother Earth, the world’s first piece of legislation that gives the natural world rights that are equal to those of humans. Bolivia has long suffered from serious environmental problems from the mining of tin, silver, gold and other …
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What’s food got to do with the Festival of Freedom? Well, everything. You may have already downloaded AJWS’s Passover resources, but here are some other great resources about food justice and liberation: Progressive Jewish Alliance created a special Food Desert Seder Plate. Uri L’Tzedek created its own food justice Haggadah supplement. Mazon developed a fifth …
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On April 10th, Jewish change-makers in New York City gathered for a seder that explored the intersection of liberation, food consumption and production. Everyone enjoyed local, fairly produced ingredients! Check out these great photos of the seder on the Pursue blog.
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A few global food justice highlights from the past week: Urban disasters and water scarcity, a tough challenge for aid workers [AlertNet] Quinoa’s Global Success Creates Quandary in Bolivia [NY Times] Cote D’ivoire: Women bring food to market, against all odds [IRIN News] Bringing Israel’s Crops from Farm to Everyone’s Table [The Jew and the …
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