Merry Christmas

So, it's been a while since my last post.  I had some personal things to work through and didn't have time to blog.  Things are going much better now, and I finally have time to make a new entry.  
I know that everyone is probably very busy with holiday preparations (heh, I am too) and I know that this is a crazy time of year.  However, in the midst of all of this, please remember a few things.

a)  Christmas is not a time for people to give one another bits of mindless materialistic junk.  Rather, it's a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.  In my head, Jesus was the original person who stood for justice.  He cared enough about helping a hurting world that he was willing to die to take away the hurt.  Think about it.  Yes, gifts are nice.  Yes, I love my presents.  But more than that, I love the God who sent his Son to die for me.  

b)  There are people in the world who will wake up on Christmas morning and not eat that day.  There are girls who will wake up in brothels.  There are little boys who will wake up and literally do slave labor.  For the victims of injustice, there are no holidays.  I'm not saying this to be depressing, but rather to remind you to pray for these people.

I hope you all have a marvelous holiday.

Choose Children, Not Chocolate

The holidays are coming, and I have to say, that I am thrilled. I love the smells of Thanksgiving. I love spending time with my family. I love wrapping Christmas presents. I love Christmas shopping. I love the looks on my little brothers' faces when they help decorate the Christmas tree. I love eating Christmas chocolate.

Christmas candy is a huge item right now. I was at the grocery store a few days ago, and the holiday candy aisle is packed with every type of chocolate and goodie imaginable. Not only that, but the aisle is also packed with people happily buying these products.

Last week when I saw this, I smiled at the little kids and their parents buying Christmas chocolate. Now, a week later, I am saddened. See, while it seems perfectly sweet that families would come together and buy candy, very few of them know at what cost that chocolate was produced. In fact, I would wager that none of the parents in the Wal-Mart candy aisle were aware that the candy they were buying was made by child slaves.

Allow me to explain... 43% of the world's chocolate comes from Cote D'Ivoire. Cote D'Ivoire is famous for child slavery. It is estimated that 12,000 children are slaves on the ivory coast. These are the workers at the cocoa farms - these 12,000 child slaves. In other words, 43% of our chocolate is made my overworked and abused children. Do you want to support this?

The child slaves of Cote D'Ivoire are treated harshly. They are forced to carry sacks of cocoa beans which are usually larger than they are. They work in these literally back breaking conditions 12-15 hours a day. Most of them work 80-100 hour work weeks. They are routinely beaten. They survive on diets of bananas and stolen cocoa beans. Most of them are not yet teenagers. All of this, for what? So that middle class Americans can have a Hershey's bar. I ask again, is this worth it?

So, how can you know if the chocolate that you are eating is made by child slaves? You have to look for the label that says "Fair Trade." If chocolate has been produced in an ethical way, the wrapper is stamped with the words "Fair Trade" so the consumer knows that he or she is not supporting child slavery. Tragically, only 1% of the world's chocolate is fair trade chocolate.

Fair trade chocolate is available at Starbucks, Target, Wild Oats, Dunkin Donuts, Safeway, Trader Joe's, and many other health food stores. For a list of fair trade chocolate brands, go here: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products_chocolate_buy.htm Many of the largest chocolate brands do not manufacture fair trade chocolate. These include Hershey's and M&M Mars.

There is so little fair trade chocolate in the world because there is so little consumer demand for it. Major chocolate corporations will not sell fair trade chocolate if there is still high demand for their 'normal' chocolate. Here is what I want you do do - refuse to consume any chocolate that is not fair trade. Refuse to support an industry that abuses 12,000 children. Eat fair trade chocolate.

What You Can Do: Animal Rights

I know that the media has really hyped up animal rights to the point where many people think that it is nothing more than an over dramatization by a lot of radicals. While this may be true to some small extent, by and large, animals today do suffer tremendously. Slaughterhouse animals are kept in incredibly inhumane conditions. Milk cows are the same way. Laying chickens are also the same way. The meat, dairy, and egg industries do not care for their animals in an appropriate matter. (For more details on this, please Google 'animal rights abuses' or read the book Slaughterhouse.)

There are a few things that you can do to change this. Something that I have recently done, is gone vegetarian. I understand that this doesn't work for everyone, but even if you decide not to go completely vegetarian, why not at least cut meat out of your diet once a week? You will save animal lives and be able to enjoy the health benefits of eating less animals.

I would also encourage you to check out PETA's website and look into some of their ideas for activism. I respect that I lot of people disagree with PETA, but by and large, what they say about animal rights abuses is incredibly true.

Another website to check out would be PETA2. It's PETA, but for teenagers. The site is full of ways that teens can help animals. Joining th PETA2 street team is a fantastic way to help animals and earn points that you can cash in for neat rewards (I know that sounds tacky, but the stuff is pretty cool.)

Please, do your part to end the abuse of animals.

What You Can Do: World Hunger

If you have looked at a news stand in the last five years, you will understand that people the world over are starving. Children routinely go to bed hungry. Starvation is a reality. There is so much suffering in the world, and so often it seems like there is so little you can do about it. I am here to tell you otherwise.

Go to http://www.freerice.com/index.php You learn vocabulary words, and people in third world nations are given food. For every word that you correctly define, 10 grains of rice are donated to help end world hunger. So far I've increased my SAT vocabulary list, and I've donated 1190 grains of rice.

This is something that you can do in just a few minutes of your time. It's fun, and more than that, it can save lives.

What You Can Do: Darfur

Over the next few days, I will be posting a series that addresses practical steps you can take to help change the world. Today's post deals with Darfur and what you can do to help stop the genocide occurring there. (If you are unfamiliar with the situation in Darfur, please visit the following link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3496731.stm )

So what can you do to help the millions of people living in Darfur? When I first heard about Darfur, my initial reaction was that there was nothing I could do to help. I could not have been farther from the truth. There is so much that ordinary everyday people can do to help end genocide.

Of the Rwanda genocide, late Illinois representative, Paul Simon wrote, "If every member of the House and Senate had received 100 letters from people back home saying we have to do something about Rwanda, when the crisis was first developing, then I think the response would have been different." This quote shows us two things. First, that the US government has a history of not acting during humanitarian crises. Second, and most importantly, that a simple letter can change the world.

I am urging you to write your representatives about the Darfur genocide. Go to darfurscores.org and find the latest information on your representatives as it pertains to their action (or lack thereof) as regards Darfur. This site gives you tips on what to write as well as the address of your representatives. All the work is done for you, all you have to do is write and send the letter. It doesn't seem like a letter would change the world, but it can. Please, write your representatives and save lives in Sudan.

You can also sign petitions on behalf of the victims in Darfur. This site: http://www.darfurgenocide.org/petitions.php gives a list of current and past petitions that you can sign. Again, it doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. It won't take a lot of your time, but it will make a difference.

Raising awareness is another huge issue. I have found that few people actually know what is happening in Sudan. Because they are not aware, these people do not act. You can change this through talking to these people about the situation in Sudan. Having one on one conversations with people is a good way to raise awareness. Another thing you can do, though, is arrange to speak to your school or youth group about th genocide. I have found that youth pastors and teachers are very receptive to this sort of thing. Students are often very willing to act once they know what is happening.

Another way to raise awareness is to wear clothes with anti-genocide slogans. I bought a hoodie a few weeks ago with the words, "Save Darfur" and the Save Darfur logo. I've been wearing it everywhere and answering questions about it. The best part of buying anti-genocide merchandise is that depending on where you buy, a portion of the proceeds goes to help the victims in Darfur.

DONATE. This is a very direct way that you have power to help the people of Sudan. When donating, remember that every little bit helps - what you donate may not seem like a lot to you, but to someone living in poverty, it can make a huge difference. Most of my Darfur links have ways you can donate. If you like, you can also do a Google search on sites where you can donate to help save Darfur. Almost any Darfur website will take donations, and these donations usually go directly to the victims of genocide.

Lastly, I cannot stress enough how important it is to pray for peace in Darfur. This is a region with a long history of violence and slavery. Rape, murder, and slavery are all very common in this part of Sudan. Please pray that the genocide will stop and that the people of Darfur will be blessed with peace.

I know that it is hard to imagine the horrors occurring in Sudan. Darfur is halfway around the world. Sometimes it doesn't seem quite real. Allow me to say that the genocide in Darfur is VERY real. Almost half a million people have been slaughtered. Two and a half million are displaced and have no homes. This is real, and it is happening now. In your lifetime. You have the power to help stop this - I'm asking you to do your part. Write your representatives. Sign petitions on behalf of those who cannot help themselves. Donate to provide food and aid the the victims of genocide. Pray for peace in a region that has none. Stand up for justice for that that have none. Please, act on behalf of the victims of Darfur. You can do something.

Purpose

There are some things in this world that are wrong. Slavery. Genocide. Forced prostitution. Murder. Rape. These are evils that are prevalent in our world, and these are evils that we should work to stop. I Will Stand For Justice is dedicated to providing activists with the tools and information that they need to do something about the problems that face our world.

One of my favorite quotes reads, "You are a human being. You have rights inherent in that reality. You have dignity and worth that exist prior to law." This is 100% true - I agree that all men are endowed with certain rights. However, it seems that people the world over do not share this vision. Why do I say this? Because people are enslaved all across the globe. Because genocide is still a reality. Because sex trafficking is real. Because murder is a very real societal evil. Because one in three women are sexually abused. These are things that are not going away, and because of that, I believe that it is our duty as human beings to work to end human rights abuses. We have so much, and so many of us give so little. Do something. Stand for justice.