Name
Sarah Konner

School
University of Michigan

City or Town
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Graduation Year
2010

How many hours are you able to commit to USFT weekly during the 2009/2010 school year?
5-10

Please summarize your experience in the Fair Trade movement.
I have been in support of the movement for many years, but I first learned about it more deeply at the Chicago convergence in 2009. I was very inspired and came back to Michigan with a lot of new energy. I started a small campaign to get local coffee shops to carry Fair Trade chocolate and also created and chaired and new activism team called the Coop Solidarity Team within the Inter-Cooperative Council, the student housing coops of which I am a part. This group has kept Fair Trade as an important part of our projects and conversations, and I co-facilitated a workshop about Fair Trade and the Coop Movement at the North American Students of Cooperation Institute this past fall.

What is your understanding of anti-oppression and anti-racism?
I see anti-oppression and anti-racism as an ideology of life; a way of approaching the world and the people you meet with the intention to question and soften stereotypes and to spread tolerance. Anti-oppression and anti-racism requires a constant re-examination of oneself, and any assumptions or beliefs we have about the world and the people in it. It is sometimes leading by example, sometimes realizing your own prejudices, and sometimes standing up to racism and oppression in an active way.

Why would you like to be on the Coordinating Committee?
This is an organization I respect highly. I wanted to be on the coordinating committee this past year, but I was too involved in my university and did not have the time to commit. i would like to learn more about how  USFT functions and hopefully help to make it even more vibrant in the coming year.

What do you think you can bring to the CC?
I have some experience working in non-profits, but more importantly I am very eager to learn. I will definitely bring enthusiasm to the CC and hopefully my past experiences on the Board of Directors for the Inter-Cooperative Council, my experience in Arts Administration, my understanding of environmental issues and my passion for working for a more egalitarian world, will all be assets I can bring.

What is your vision for the position(s) you are applying for?
I am most interested in the Movement Liaison because I want to see more interaction and support between similar non-profit organizations. There is a lot of segregation and even strife between organizations that are working for very similar goals. I think that more communication and collaboration would help that. My ideas for the Industry Liaison and the BRIDGE coordinator are similar, but in these case is is more about making strong connections to other organizations and people that are part of our movement. I don't know enough about these positions and the work they entail to give more detail than that, but I am excited to learn and I am willing to bring my skills and hard work to the position.

What does Fair Trade mean to you?
Fair Trade Means: first, it isn't a luxury, but a bottom line of what all trade should be. All of the rest of it is unfair trade, conceptually, Fair trade is just trade. Fair Trade is also about integrating economics with actual people, and making connections between producers and consumers that makes sense and minimizes exploitation. Fair Trade also incorporates environmental concerns and aims to build a system that can protect people within the fast-growing world of global exploitation. It isn't radical, but rather slow, effective change that works within the system and with the wants and needs of consumers.

Who are you, really? What are you passionate about?
I am a graduating senior from the University of Michigan with a BFA in dance and a BA in environmental science. I like making art that makes people think. I like thinking about art. I knew I would study environmental science as a 9th grader when I decided I wanted to devote my life to 'protecting the rainforest'. It is a little more complicated than that now, but the things I am most passionate about still revolve around a fundamental importance that I place on respect for the Earth and it resources and not taking more from it than we can give. I am very interested in sustainable agriculture and in food system reform.  I make art because I think it helps people feel more, and I think the more we feel the closer we are to the Earth. It all relates back, I want to preserve beauty in people and in our environment. That sounds pretty, but it is hard work. I am trying to do that.