Community Action on Latin America presents:
 
The 7th Annual Fair Trade Holiday Festival
Saturday, December 6th
10:00am - 4:00pm
at the Pres House 731 State Street
on the UW Madison Library Mall
 
...over 25 vendors and community organizations will gather with Fair Trade
education and gifts for the holidays.          
 
Unfair trade practices are more apparent than ever as American jobs are sold
to the lowest labor bidder in other parts of the world.  Agricultural
product prices as well as factory wages are subject to the race to the
bottom.  Free trade policies benefit corporations, now more powerful than
many nations, competing for the lowest costs wherever they operate. 
 
Fair Trade combats this trend by uniting people across nations, taking back
control of social and economic interactions.  In this holiday season, gift
givers seek to purchase as directly as possible from the producer through
markets based on fair wages and fair conditions.
 
Organizations at the Fair Trade Holiday Festival are familiar with the
producers, their families, and the conditions they live in and work under.
Through these relationships vendors educate consumers and ensure that a fair
price is paid for the labor and resources.  
 
Together with the artisans and farmers that provide Fair Trade gifts,
vendors and shoppers are working towards a world where all people have the
right to a peaceful existence and secure livelihood. Hundreds of
festival-goers over the years have enjoyed this opportunity to expand the
good will of their holiday purchases to other communities.
 
This Madison Festival, now in its seventh year, is a seed in a larger
movement to globalize hope by globalizing the struggle.  Last year the Fair
Trade Holiday Festival enjoyed an impressive $24,000 in combined vendor
sales, with well over 600 shoppers throughout the day. This is a testimony
to the awareness and the desire of holiday shoppers to ensure that their
gifts are contributing to a more just economic system. 
 
In addition to unique and fascinating gift items from around the world, the
festival features a scrumptious bake sale, fair trade coffee and hot
chocolate and caroling elves from Santa's sweatshop.  Join us for a just and
hopeful alternative to the conventional shopping mall holiday rush. 

alicia@equalexchange.com