Chicago Oxfam Action Corps revved up the possibilities with a handful of major events and new ties in October. Dedicated to starting a
new conversation and converting a lot of energy towards stopping land grabs
through the Behind the Brands campaign, we are thankful to have accomplished so
much in just a span of 30 days.
Our Behind the Brands Cycle kicked off first showing at Atoms for Peace
Concert on October 2nd. We captured the attention of enthusiastic concert-goers to introduce the
concept of land grabs and how the harvesting and purchasing of sugar can effect
individual small scale farmers on a global scale. The updated scorecard
attracted many. Some were flummoxed,
some engaged and took action by being among the first to sign the new petition.
We continued introducing our message to Stop Land Grabs at a ONE happy hour
meeting on October 11
th. Chicago Oxfam Action Corps and ONE campaign
continue to work together as allies in helping to reduce poverty and
encouraging everyone to take action. Our first combined Happy Hour meeting was
a unique event that allowed us to socialize while sending a message. ONE
Campaign focused on Electrify Africa, while we shared our message about land
grabs and World Food Day.
On World Food Day, our potluck cast light on importance of sustainability.
Our new friends at 8
th Day Center for Justice graciously hosted us
in their space. The room filled with delicious smells as guests brought a
variety of GROW method dishes. During our brief presentation of Oxfam Action Corps, we were all introduced to
Zero Percent, an "app" that allows restaurants to move surplus food by posting to online donation sites therefore providing for those in need and reducing waste! Enthusiasm from new guests, dedicated
volunteers, and previous organizers inspired us to take action. Everyone joined
in taking a picture with the Stop Land Grabs sign and posting it to Coca Cola
Company and PepsiCo and signing the petition. With a tweet to @PepsiCo and @CocaColaCo or a Facebook post, consumers can use their voice by directing commitment by their favorite companies to practice ethical standards to prevent small-scale farmers from being forced off of their land.
Following World Food Day, Oxfam attended Global Fest Africa, the annual
fundraiser for Chicago Fair Trade. With October as Fair Trade Month, this event
culminated supporters of fair trade in the spirit of growing the span of fair
trade products in Chicago. The following day, Co-Organizers hosted special
events to promote the message of Oxfam and the GROW method. Kathryn hosted a
teach-in workshop at Lewis University on Friday October 18
th. I
hosted a World Food Day dinner at a local Indian restaurant in Naperville. Revealing the message of Oxfam during a World Food Day dinner gave Oxfam a platform to share the importance of individual choice in improving the broken food system.
Our largest event, Frontiers of Food Justice, featured special guest Ms. Kijoolu Kaliya. As a Tanzanian pastoralist, she led a team of women in her
community to fend off the government from taking over her land. Land grabs
continue to rise as an issue due to competition to produce more sugar, soy and
palm oil. In the process, small-scale farmers are illegally pushed off of their
land. In a panel of Ms. Kaliya, Aveda Corporation Senior Educator Marlo Boyle and former Lt. Governor Barbara
Lawton, share their role in the issue of land grabs and property rights through
corporation and legislation. With a full banquet vegan dinner and active
audience, this memorable event explored the importance of the current Behind
the Brands Cycle targeting sugar and land grabs.Our team was grateful of the work by Adam Olson to organize this event on behalf of the overall goal for our Action Corps campaigns.
The same week, Chicago Oxfam Action Corps made a second showing at a concert
for The Head and the Heart and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Focusing on
Behind the Brands at the concert, we enjoyed the opportunity to share the GROW
campaign message at a Hunger Banquet in Naperville. North Central College
invited us to their 2
nd Annual event to engage college students in
the conversation about the global food system. November is often the month for
organizations and individuals to host a Hunger Banquet in the midst of the
holiday season. Anyone can host one to share the GROW message. Find out more at
Oxfam America Hunger Banquet website.
Our incredible volunteers help make these events successful. As we wind down from World Food Day events, we begin planning for three major events in 2014. These include International Women's Day, Oxjam Music Festival, and a Film Festival. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us
-Megan Nakra
