by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

On a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946,Edna Ruth Byler noted thelovely handicrafts being madeby women artisans. She came homeand began selling their products outof the trunk of her car. Her work even-tually developed into what is nowknown as Ten Thousand Villages.

This was the humble beginning ofthe global fair trade movement. To-day, fair trade sales of Ten ThousandVillages and like-minded organiza-tions top $4 billion each year. Theidea is simple: work directly withfarmers and artisans to ensure theyreceive a fair, living wage for theirproducts. This gives producers theadded income they need to coverbasic costs, such as sending theirchildren to school.

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.has partnered with Equal Exchangeto encourage the purchase of fair tradecoffee. More than 200 Mennonite con-gregations have already signed up tomake sure that their coffee hour everySunday morning fairly benefits coffeefarmers around the world. For moreinformation, visit washington.mcc.org/advocate/coffee.

The steadily increasing numberof fair trade sales is encouraging andmakes a real difference in the lives ofmany people. But it is still a small per-centage of all of the trade happening

worldwide. In 2008, nearly $16 trillionworth of merchandise was traded onthe world market, according to theWorld Trade Organization.

Because of this, it is crucial thatwhile holding a mug of fairly tradedcoffee in one hand, we use our otherhand to write a letter to Congress ask-ing for fairer trade rules for everyone.

On Sunday, April 25, we are en-couraging congregations across theUnited States to do just that. This willbe the final Sunday of our year-longcampaign calling for “Abundant Life:Economic Justice for All.” We hopemany churches will choose to pray,reflect and act on that day for tradewhich prioritizes the common good.

In this issue Theo Sitther writesabout ways to make U.S. trade, whichuntil now has strongly favored U.S.companies, more just. We also hearabout how trade and economic poli-cies made the impact of Haiti’s earth-quake even more severe. TammyAlexander writes about how tradepolicies have forced some people toleave their homes.

On pages 10–11 you will find asample letter to policymakers on tradejustice, along with an excerpt fromthe top essay in our high school essaycontest.

We hope these resources will behelpful for you. And as always, wewelcome your feedback.*

IN THIS MEMO

2 Trade as if People Matter

4 Worship Resources

7 Justice for Haiti

8 Immigration and Trade

9 Washington Memo Online

10 Advocates’ Corner

A publication of Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

SPRING 2010 | VOLUME XLII | NO. 1

Jeff Kubina/Wikimedia Commons

Let Justice Roll DownTRADE FOR THE COMMON GOOD

by Theo Sitther

Trade is one of the most powerfulforces that links human beings inthe 21st century. The food we eat,the cars we drive, the clothes we wearand countless other products that weconsume are easily available becauseof international trade. These productsoften travel hundreds, if not thousands,of miles before reaching their destina-tion in our local grocery or departmentstores.

As corporations and multinationalcompanies get richer, millions of theworld’s poorest are being left behind.Thirty thousand children throughoutthe world die every day from prevent-able poverty-related illnesses. Globalpoverty exists in part because of deci-sions made by the governments of af-fluent countries. One form of globalcontrol by rich nations is through in-ternational trade policy.

Free Trade

Trade is not a new phenomenon. Thetrading of goods and commodities hasexisted from the earliest of times. In the

Bible, King Solomon expanded his ruleand wealth by controlling importanttrade routes in theAncient Near East.

Today, trade happens on an interna-tional scale with nations trading theirgoods and commodities in the globalmarketplace through sometimes am-biguous rules, regulations and freetrade agreements.

Free trade refers to the movementof goods across national boundarieswithout government interference. Intheory, free trade creates a “level play-ing field” so that everyone can com-pete based on the same rules in a freemarket system. The current form of in-ternational trade, however, combinedwith the free market system producesclear winners and losers.

Since the 1980s International Fi-nancial Institutions (IFIs) such as theWorld Bank, the International Mone-tary Fund (IMF) and the World TradeOrganization (WTO) have imposedfree trade or liberalized economic poli-cies on countries in the global South.These policies translate into corporateconsolidation, market control and bal-

looning profits for companies, whiledevastating rural communities, dis-placing small farmers and harming theenvironment.

U.S. Trade Policy

Trade, as it relates to U.S. policy, isgoverned through two frameworks. Ona multilateral level the U.S. is a mem-ber of the WTO, which provides rulesand regulation for international tradethrough negotiations by member states.Since the early 1990s the United Stateshas also pursued bilateral or regionaltrade agreements such as the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), the Central American FreeTradeAgreement (CAFTA) and otherbilateral agreements.

Trade touches almost every aspectof our daily lives and its effects can bedevastating to impoverished commu-nities worldwide. While trade policiesdeal with a wide range of issues,MCC’s analysis of trade policies pri-marily stem from our work on interna-tional debt relief, food/agriculture and

2 WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010

“Trade as ifPeople and Earth Matter”

Melissa

Engle/MCC

migration. (See page 8 for an articleon trade and migration.)

Debt and Structural Adjustment

Unjust trade policy is inextricablylinked to international debt and policesimposed by the IMF and the WorldBank. The loan programs of the WorldBank and the IMF have leveraged andpressured poor countries to implementpolicies that have a detrimental effecton the poor. Governments from theglobal South have borrowed from theseIFIs to finance domestic programs.

The loans, however, come withharmful conditions, which haveoften worked to destabilize domesticeconomies. These conditions areknown as Structural Adjustment Pro-grams (SAPs) or so-called “povertyreduction and growth programs.”SAPs force a government to cut do-mestic spending on education, healthcare and other social programs and toprivatize these sectors instead; cut sup-port to local farmers; open up marketsfor trade by reducing import tariffs;and reorient the economy for export.

This forces poor countries to com-pete in a global market dominated bylarge corporations from the UnitedStates and Europe. As a result, manyin the global South have been forced

deeper into poverty. (For more infor-mation on debt relief see the Fall 2009issue of theWashington Memo.)

Food and Agriculture

Many of the world’s poor depend onagriculture for their livelihood andfood security. Access to food and theself-determination of policies thatgovern food are basic human rights.However, the growth in trade and theinclusion of food commodities in in-ternational trade has devastated ruralcommunities around the globe.

According to the report Trade as ifPeople and Earth Matter by the Inter-faith Working Group on Trade and In-vestment (IWG), “small farmers haveno voice during trade negotiations andpolicy design. This diminishes theirright to food sovereignty, market ac-cess, access to good livelihoods andrural development.”

Many small and family farmershave lost their livelihood. When acountry opens its market to food im-ports, small farmers are forced to com-

pete in a market that is dominated byjust a few multinational corporations.The farmers ultimately lose out whencheap, subsidized imports from richnations undercut their farm production.

This also has a detrimental effecton food security for local communitiesbecause food prices are at the mercyof global prices rather than local pro-duction. In 2008 food prices began torise, resulting in a global food crisis.People in poor countries were at themercy of the global market for subsis-tence. (See pg. 7 for an article on food,hunger and debt in Haiti.)

Trade Justice

International trade policies are soharmful because they fail to take intoaccount the wellbeing of people andtheir livelihood. The movement fortrade justice calls for trade policies towork for the common good rather thanthe interests of a few. Trade shouldwork to promote life and dignity forall people.

According to the Ecumenical Advo-cacy Alliance, “trade justice is people-centered, respects human rights, andguarantees food security, livelihoodsand sustainable development for thewhole of society. It recognizes the rightof all people to have a say regardingtheir own future, and all governmentsto determine their own economic andtrade policies.”

Global trade policies must adhereto the following seven principles:

1. All people—not just elites in theUnited States and elsewhere—shouldhave a meaningful voice in determiningglobal economic policies and practices.

2. Public policy decisions shouldensure that the benefits of economicactivity flow equitably to all people,not to a privileged few. Economicpolicies should alleviate poverty and

WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010 3

(continued on page 6)

Trade touches almost every aspect of our daily lives and its effects canbe devastating to impoverished communities worldwide.

“It’s Impossible to Make a Profit”

Muracin Claircin sold his plot of land in Haiti,left his wife and two children, and paid$1,000 for a place on a boat to take him tothe United States. “I had to do this becauseI could no longer support my family bygrowing rice,” he explains.

After a tortuous week drifting at seawithout enough food or water, the captaintold them they would have to turn backbecause the ship’s compass was broken.

Now back with his family, Muracin has neither money nor land and says that, giventhe opportunity, he would try again. He still cannot make a living from rice farming.“There’s no incentive to grow rice anymore. It’s virtually impossible to make a profit,”he says.

Source: Christian Aid, Trade Justice Campaign Case Study—Haiti: Rice.

Damouns/Wikimedia Commons

This spring, the MCC Washington Office invites congrega-tions to pray, reflect and act on the theme “Let justice rolldown: Trade for the common good.” The suggested Sundayis April 25.

Living in the presence of a prophet is not necessarilycomforting. Reminders and warnings come, not asjudgments with which one can argue, but as correc-tions to the course. The voice of the prophet reminds allwho hear that when justice is not done, change is necessary.

Words of the prophet Amos have been selected as thebiblical roots for this Sunday designated to focus on tradeissues. “Seek me and live,” God says through the prophet.“The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deepdarkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night,who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out onthe surface of the earth, the LORD is his name.”

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; and theLORD, the God of hosts, will be with you . . . hate evil andlove good, establish justice in the gate,” Amos said. And,calling the people back from a shallow and hollow perver-sion of a godly life, he said, “let justice roll down likewaters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

With reference to the many issues related to trade, wecan find in Amos’words ample reason to pray for thosewho suffer for trade-related reasons and those who causethe suffering. Every one of us needs constant remindingthat the place where justice rolls down like waters, andwhere righteousness is an ever-flowing stream is where allof God’s people dwell securely.

Planning for worship on Sunday, April 25

The lectionary readings for this, the Fourth Sunday of theEaster season, include Psalm 23 and verses from Revelation7 (9–17) that speak of a full table spread, no more hunger,and a state of bliss. In other readings for the Easter season,there are powerful and lavish food images: the reading fromIsaiah 25 and the memorable seaside breakfast the post-Easter Jesus serves to his disciples, for example.

Alongside these post-Easter food images, it is good toremember these words from the Rev. Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr.’s 1967 Christmas sermon on peace:

Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your jobin the morning without being dependent on most of theworld? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroomand reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by

a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’sgiven to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then yougo into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning,and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. Andmaybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chi-nese [farmer]. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa forbreakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a WestAfrican.And then you reach over for your toast, and that’s given toyou at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to men-tion the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in themorning, you’ve depended on more than half the world.

Call to worship

The service could begin with a breakfast (or brunch) honor-ing the interdependence with which we begin our day. Anextended call to worship would include:

• the aromas of the food being prepared,• a spoken acknowledgement of the source of each of the

foods being served,

• a rousing hymn of thanks, Be present at our table, Lord(HWB 457), and maybe

• an additional hymn, the Haitian song Vin pran, vinpran/Come, take eat (STS 46).

For some weeks prior to this breakfast, invite homesin the congregation to track the sources of what they havefor breakfast. From this information, a menu can beplanned. Where things come from, and the fairness withwhich growers or producers are treated should determinethe menu. Local and fair trade items should be considered.

4 WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010

Let Justice Roll Down

Worship Resources and Reflectionsby Ken Nafziger

Melissa

Engle/MCC

A time of praising

STS 190 People of God . . . (a responsive readingfor the congregation)

Singing together (see the website for a list of suggestedsongs)

Psalm 146 (see the website for a suggested sung refrainto use with this psalm)

A time of confession

With the emphasis on trade issues, one might use this timeof confession to explore imbalances that exist. The rubrichere might be “making the ephah small and the shekelgreat,” fromAmos 8:5.

With a little direction and imagination, some of the youngpeople of the congregation could turn the web page, “RiggedRules,” at maketradefair.com into an interesting and infor-mative, quasi-dramatic presentation. This interactive pageclarifies such issues as dumping, market access, forced liber-alization, labor rights and regional trade agreements.

Research into how these rules affect one or several ofthe countries represented at breakfast this morning wouldmake the information even more accessible. Find storieswhenever possible.

STJ 128 God of the weak and the wounded . . .

People should be given time to read these words beforethey speak them. They are heavy words; they should not bespoken lightly. One might assign the people’s part to fourseparate readers, allowing silence between each of the con-fessions. Everyone could then join on the final two lines ofthe prayer. However it’s used, it should be given plenty oftime and space and silence.

STS 33 Let justice roll like a river

A time of thanksgiving

There are stories to be found online, or in the experiencesof members of your congregation that can be re-told asexpressions of thanksgiving for lives that have been livedcomfortably in spite of trade difficulties, or of communitiesand/or groups that worked together to make lives better andmore sustainable for others. To have work with dignity andrespect is a shared aim across ages and cultures and liveli-hoods. I might end this section of story and thanksgivingswith Max Coots’ “Litany of Gratitude” (found on the web-site) or STS 157.

A time of offering

Aspecial offering today might be taken to support an organ-ization that works on behalf of Christians to bring about fairtrade practices.

HWB 750 Gracious God, we thank you . . .(a prayer to be read in unison)

A time of sending

When people leave the worship service today, they shouldcarry with them a thoughtful awareness of the issue, asense of the inter-connectedness of the human family, thecentrality of the work of Jesus and our work with him tobring justice where none is, and our participation in a sys-tem that has grown to unbearable proportions for some.

I would lengthen this part of the service to include read-ing and singing together, sharing silences, and hearingwords of hope and promise. There are suggested readingsand songs found on the website, along with some wordsadapted fromAmos and Revelation, and a closing hymn,You are salt for the earth, O people (HWB 226).

Ken Nafziger is professor of music at Eastern MennoniteUniversity and is on sabbatical this semester in the MCCWashington Office.

WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010 5

Melissa

Engle/MCC

Abbreviations HWB Hymnal: A Worship BookSTJ Sing the Journey

STS Sing the Story

advance equitable power relationsand fair economic relations amongpeoples and nations.

3. Global economic policies and prac-tices should foster ecological sustain-ability, not unbridled and wasteful con-sumption.

4. Global economic policies shouldfoster—not undermine—integral humandevelopment, nurturing such humanvalues as the family, local communi-ties, education, physical health, digni-fied labor, and enjoyment of the fruitsof science and culture. Economic ac-tivity should produce wholesome, life-giving products and services, not thosethat degrade and destroy.

5. Global economic policies shouldaddress the imbalance of power be-tween capital and labor, fosteringhealthy and safe working conditions,worker participation in business deci-sions, stock ownership and the cre-ation of worker-owned co-operatives.Economic policies should help trans-form the nature of the relationshipsbetween management, workers, thecommunity and the environment fromthat of exploitation to mutual respectand a more equitable sharing ofpower.

6. Global economic policies shouldrespect the community, or collective,dimensions of economic life. Examplesinclude protecting and fostering co-operative businesses, community-based agriculture, the accountabilityof corporations to the communities

where they operate, and the collectiverights of local communities to their bi-ological resources, knowledge andtechnologies.

7. Economic policies and structuresmust not be imposed on the nationsand peoples of the world by dominantnations and institutions.While globallinks can nurture our common human-ity, diverse peoples should be able toadopt a variety of economic models,compatible with their own culturesand consistent with values of freedomand justice. Economic policymakersmust be willing to make room foralternative voices and models of fi-nance, commerce and development.

Trade policies have the potential toimprove livelihoods and lift communi-ties out of poverty. To do this, policiesshould focus on people rather than oncorporate profits.*

6 WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010

Rice Production in Haiti: Local vs. U.S. Imports

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Local Production

1985

1986

1987

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Support the TRADE Act

The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act pro-vides a framework for re-evaluating and re-shaping U.S. trade policy so that itserves the common good by providing stable jobs, environmental protections, pub-lic health and poverty reduction. The bill sets standards for what must and mustnot be included in future trade agreements, and requires a comprehensive reviewof existing trade agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA that are failing to serve themost vulnerable in the U.S. and countries in the global South.

This bill was introduced by Rep. Mike Michaud (Maine) in the House as H.R.3012 and by Sen. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) in the Senate as S. 2821. As of February15, 2010, there are 136 cosponsors in the House and six cosponsors in the Senate.See p. 10 for a sample letter to Congress on the TRADE Act.

“Trade as if People and Earth Matter” (continued from page 3)

Source: Georges, J. (2004). Trade and the Disappearance of Haitian Rice. Ted Case Studies, 725.

This chart illustrates that Haiti imports more rice from the United States than it produces. In the1980s Haiti was self-sufficient in rice production, but due to free trade policies, imports outpacedlocal production to the detriment of Haitian farmers.

by Rebecca Bartel

In order to understand the strategiesneeded for Haiti’s rebuilding, it isappropriate to consider the obsta-cles this country has historically expe-rienced to the fulfillment of God’s sha-lom. Natural events are beyond ourhuman control, but the vulnerability ofHaiti to the horrific consequences thatthese events have is entirely human-made.

There is nothing “natural” aboutabject poverty. Haiti has been underthe heel of external economic policieswhich have exacerbated and system-atized the violence of poverty in thecountry. These policies began with theexorbitant debt of 150 million francs($21 billion in today’s U.S. dollars)forced upon the population after inde-pendence from France in 1804 andhave continued with more recentstructural adjustment policies andconditions on foreign aid.

Until June 2009, Haiti was paying$56 million—$70 million a year onservice debts to the World Bank and theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).Nearly 45 percent of that debt was in-curred during the U.S.-backed Duvalierdictatorships (1957–1986). To put thisinto context, up until the forgiveness of$1.2 billion of Haiti’s foreign debt last

year, the government spent $4 per per-son on healthcare and $5 per person oneducation each year, while paying $5per person in debt service.

There is nothing “natural” abouthunger. Until 1985, Haiti was self-suf-ficient in rice production—a main sta-ple in the modern Haitian diet. Underthe tutelage of international financialinstitutions, such as the World Bankand the IMF, Haiti liberalized its eco-nomic policies, opening the door toforeign imports such as rice.

In 1994 conditions on foreign aidto the country mandated that importtariffs on rice be cut from 35 percentto 3 percent. As a consequence thou-sands of rice farmers were put out ofbusiness. Many of these farmers weredisplaced to urban centers such asPort-au-Prince, where weak infrastruc-ture and unemployment forced mil-lions of people to live in shanty townsand poorly constructed housing, put-ting them at particular risk in the caseof a natural disaster.

Dependence on foreign food im-ports puts any country in a position ofvulnerability to the waves of change inthe global market. It also destroys localagricultural development. An MCCHaitian partner “Local Food Produc-

tion” states: “Liberal trade agreementshave crushed Haiti’s agriculture sectorsand have significantly contributed tounemployment and rural-urban migra-tion.” It is not “natural” that millions ofpeople were living in such vulnerableconditions in Port-au-Prince when theearthquake hit.

God’s vision of shalom for human-ity calls Christians to consider thelong-term investment that must bemade for Haiti to rise out of its currentcrisis. It calls us to respond immedi-ately, but also to consider how ourgovernments and institutions makepolicy decisions which victimize theworld’s most marginalized people.

Only through investment in Haitianpeople, communities and society willfuture natural disasters be more man-ageable. We cannot control the move-ments of the earth, but we can controlhow our voices are heard in the hallsof power. The Haitian people call usto share our prophetic voice, as do thewords of Scripture: “For Zion’s sake,I will not be silent.” “Jan m’renmenmòn Siyon sa a! Se pou m’pale.”*Rebecca Bartel is the MCC LatinAmerica/Caribbean Policy Analyst,based in Bogotá, Colombia.

WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010 7

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CC

Marie Therese Jean Paul participates in an MCC-supported microfinance program in Haiti.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,and her salvation like a burning torch.

—Isaiah 62:1

Jan m’ renmen mòn Siyon sa a!Se pou m’ pale. Jan m’ renmen lavil Jerizalèm

sa a, mwen p’ap pran kanpo,jouk delivrans li va parèt tankou limyè solèy k’ap

leve, tankou flanbo k’ap klere nanfènwa.—Ezayi 62:1

Justice for Haiti:For Zion’s Sake

The first account above is from thestory of Isaac and Rebekah inGenesis, chapter 26. In the sec-ond story, Elizabeth Buhler, a RussianMennonite, left the post-revolutionturmoil in Ukraine in 1925 to make anew home in Canada. The third storywas of two teenage boys who, in 2004,left their family farm in Mexico to findwork in the United States.

Throughout history, people havemigrated for various reasons, often re-ferred to as “push” and “pull” factors.The factors that “push” people to up-root their families and leave home in-clude violent conflict, natural disasters,and economic distress. The dynamicsthat “pull” migrants to the U.S. includeeconomic opportunity and safety.

Matthew

Lester

Victor Reyes Deramona left his family and his farm in Teticic, Mexico andmigrated to the United States in order to make a living. “I would rather be herein Tecticic. But there’s no money for living,” explains Deramona. His story isfeatured in the September/October 2006 issue of a Common Place magazineat acommonplace.mcc.org/acp/2006/11-12/.

The third story above provides onestark example of how U.S. trade poli-cies such as the North American FreeTradeAgreement (NAFTA) are “push-ing” people to the United States. Thetwo teenage boys in the story, ages 14and 16, grew up in Chiapas State insouthern Mexico, expecting to becomefarmers like their father and grandfa-ther before them. But, like millions ofother family farmers in Mexico in thewake of NAFTA, they found them-selves unable to compete with cheapand heavily subsidized corn importsfrom the U.S.

Hoping to find work at a poultryplant in the U.S., the boys left theirhome and school, risking detentionand death to cross the border without

proper documentation. They weredoing what young men do to helptheir mother. They weren’t lookingfor a handout. They weren’t drugsmugglers. They were trying to findhonest work to provide for their family.

NAFTA was supposed to reduceundocumented immigration fromMexico. Between 1990 and 2000,however, the number of undocu-mented Mexican immigrants in theU.S. doubled. While NAFTA allowsfor the free movement of goods,labor movements are highly restricted(9,247 Mexicans were admitted intothe U.S. for temporary employmentunder NAFTA during the 2006 fiscalyear). Meanwhile, debates over immi-gration policy in the U.S. have con-tinued as if trade agreements haveno effect on waves of undocumentedimmigration.

Call on Congress and the Obamaadministration to pass sensible, fairtrade policies (p. 10) and to considerthese root causes part of a comprehen-sive immigration reform effort.

Visit washington.mcc.org formore information on immigrationadvocacy.*

Immigration and Tradeby Tammy Alexander

A man and his wife leave their home during a famine and settle in a newplace where they are regarded as “aliens.” They plant crops, have a goodharvest, and enjoy economic prosperity.

A pregnant woman flees conflict and economic hardship in her homelandand, with her husband and several other family members, travel across anocean to make a new life in a strange land.

Two young men leave their homeland in search of work to support theirmother, who is sick and needs medicine.

Website Resource Highlights

The MCC Washington Office website providesinformation about the office, action alerts, upcom-ing events, and resources on domestic and interna-tional issues. Recent highlights include:

Advocating for Haiti Sincethe January 12 earthquake inHaiti, MCC has been workingto advocate for the needs ofHaitians. Through our blog, youcan find updates on specificconcerns and links to articles:

• “Don’t Point Guns atHaitians” by Rebecca Bartel,MCC policy analyst

• “What We Owe Haiti” by Rachelle LyndakerSchlabach, published in PeaceSigns

• “Haiti’s Un-natural Disaster” by Theo Sitther,published in Third Way Café

Going Social The MCC Wash-ington Office has created ac-

counts on both Facebook and Twitter. Find us onthe social networks and “fan” or “friend” us forsimple updates about our action on the blog, web-site, online articles and action alerts.

“Abundant Life: Economic Jus-tice for All” Stay updated on theWashington Office’s AbundantLife: Economic Justice for Allcampaign. Resources on thecampaign’s page are on healthcare, debt relief, housing andtrade.

Days of Prayer and Action forColombia April 18–19. Joinother churches in the UnitedStates and Canada to pray,worship and act for policies

that promote peace and justice in Colombia. Learnhow your church can be involved at washington.mcc.org/days.

WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010 9

The Washington Memo Online

washington.mcc.orgWashington Memo BlogThe Washington Memo Blog offers quick updates

on current issues and news relevant to work hereat the MCC Washington Office. Here are someexcerpts from recent blog posts:

Obama’s National SecurityPolicy Towards AfricaJanuary 29, 2010

“The budget of Africom(the U.S. military commandfor Africa) far exceeds that ofthe State Department and theU.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID). The

United States must reverse this trend by revital-izing the capacity and resources of these criticalagencies, rather than prioritizing military assis-tance and training programs. In addition to overmilitarizing underdevelopedAfrican nations withlimited infrastructure, investing in military pro-grams diverts scarce resources from efforts toconsolidate democracy, uphold human rights,and spur economic growth on the continent.”

National Criminal Justice Act Passes CommitteeJanuary 22, 2010

“Yesterday in a business meeting, the Senate Judi-ciary Committee passed the National Criminal Jus-tice CommissionAct. TheAct, introduced in March2009 by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), would form a14-member, bipartisan commission tasked withreviewing the entire criminal justice system. . . .

“The criminal justice system in the UnitedStates has grown tremendously in recent history,with incarceration increasing by 500 percent inthe last 30 years. At 5 percent of the world’s pop-ulation, the United States now houses 25 percentof the world’s inmates. That’s 7.3 million men,women and children and 5 times higher than theinternational average incarceration rate.”

washingtonmemo.org

Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance

Melissa

Engle/MCC

Melissa Engle/MCC

10 WASHINGTON MEMO | SPRING 2010

Casey (Pa.), Byron Dorgan (N.D.), Russell Feingold (Wisc.),Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Bernard Sanders (Vt.), and SheldonWhitehouse (R.I.). If writing one of these senators, insteadof using the following sample letter, please send a thank-you note for supporting the TRADE Act.

Dear Senator ________ :

I am writing in support of the Trade Reform, Accountabil-ity, Development and Employment (TRADE)Act S. 2821.Please consider signing on as a co-sponsor.

Decades of U.S. trade policy have erased jobs here in theU.S., displaced farmers abroad, and undermined labor, con-sumer, and environmental protections. U.S. trade policiesand agreements should, instead, contribute to people’slivelihoods, sustainable development, and the alleviationof poverty. This serves not only a humanitarian objective,but also the long-term interests of the United States.

I urge you to sign on as a co-sponsor to the TRADEActto clearly demonstrate your commitment to a trade agendathat actually works for the majority of the world’s people.

Sincerely,

[Name and address]

For a more detailed letter, visit washingtonmemo.org/newsletter/spring10.

*Advocates’ Corner

The Advocates’ Cornerhighlights current advo-cacy work by Anabaptistcongregations. Pleaselet us know what yourcongregation is doing,so that we can includeit in a future issue.

SAMPLE LETTER ON TRADE

Note: The House version of the TRADE Act has more than130 co-sponsors while the Senate version has only sevensupporters. Please use this sample letter to urge your sena-tors to co-sponsor the TRADE Act, S. 2821.The seven senators who already support the bill are:

Sherrod Brown (Ohio), who is the lead sponsor, Robert

And many were healed(July 19, 2009)The first Sunday of the Abundant Lifecampaign in July 2009 focused on

health care reform, with the expectation that legislation wouldlikely be passed by the end of the summer. Alas, things havenot moved as quickly as we had hoped.

Letters and phone calls are needed now more then ever.Let Congress know you want them to take swift action to passcomprehensive health care reform. For weekly updates onreform efforts, visit our blog at washingtonmemo.org. For addi-tional resources, including a link to recent action alerts, visitwashington.mcc.org/life/health.

Proclaim Jubilee (October 25, 2009)In December the Jubilee Act was introduced in the House asa bipartisan bill (H.R. 4405). The bill would expand life-givingdebt cancellation to 22 additional impoverished countries leftout of previous debt relief deals and calls for an end to harmfuleconomic conditions and an audit of past odious and illegiti-mate debts. E-mails and phone calls in support of the legisla-tion are needed.

Secure dwelling places (January 31, 2010)Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund passed throughthe House of Representatives as part of the Jobs for Main StreetAct. As of this writing, however, it is not in the Senate jobs bill.

President Obama’s requested budget for 2011 included aproposed 3-year freeze on “non-security discretionary spend-ing,” including the budget for housing assistance. Althoughmany programs which focus on alleviating poverty were unaf-fected, the housing budget suffered from cuts to constructionand rehabilitation for subsidized housing for the elderly anddisabled. More information is available on our blog.

UPCOMING SUNDAY: APRIL 25, 2010Let justice roll down: Trade for the common goodJoin the MCC Washington Office this spring to pray, reflect,and act for economic justice for those affected by unfair tradepolicies. The suggested Sunday for action and reflection isApril 25. Worship and advocacy resources are available atwashington.mcc.org/life or by contacting us at mccwash@mcc.org or 202-544-6564.

Update on Abundant Life: Economic Justice for All Campaign

Together we can be part of God’s vision of abundant life for all.

11TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

The annual MCC Washington Office essay contest provides an opportunity foryoung people to reflect on public policy andAnabaptist faith. The contest isopen to Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and other Anabaptist youth of high schoolage, and to all youth who attend Mennonite high schools.

The two suggested topics this past year were the international debt crisis andthe housing crisis. The winning essay was submitted by CorineAlvarez. Excerptsfrom her essay follow. Carl Lehmann, a student at the FreemanAcademy,Freeman, S.D., and Sara Klassen, a student at Bethany Christian High School,Goshen, Ind. both won honorable mention. Excerpts of their essays can be foundat washingtonmemo.org.

“WWJDAIDC or What Would Jesus Do Aboutthe International Debt Crisis”

Corine Alvarez, Bethany Christian High School, Goshen, Indiana

Throughout history, various global organizations and individuals have tried tohelp relieve ailing, indebted countries with little or no success. In 1982, the In-ternational Monetary Fund decided to help. They worked with the World Bankto reschedule the payments for the poverty-stricken countries with strict condi-tions, including compound interest. Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs)were also implemented. However, these programs to retrieve the money fromcountries harmed more than they helped. SAPs increase exports and decreaseimports. The poor are hit the hardest when less money is spent on education andhealth care, jobs are cut, prices of food increase, the national currency’s valuedecreases, and small farms are taken over to grow cash crops . . .

The JubileeAct for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation . . .is about the need for right relationships between people and among nations. . . .Loosely based on the biblical Year of Jubilee, or the Year of the Lord’s Favor,[it is] a holy year that comes every seven years in which all debts are cancelledamongst the people. In Deuteronomy 15:4, God states that there should be nopoor (implying that the poor represent failures of the rich). Later, in verse 11, heacknowledges that there will always be poor and that they should be cared forgenerously. It comes as no surprise that the first thing Jesus preached in Luke4:18 came from Isaiah 61:1–2 on justice. Luke 4:18 reads,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisonersand recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

That Jesus made this his first speech is crucial and shows the importanceGod places on intentionally and diligently caring for the poor in every possibleway. Jesus came to help the poor. As followers of Christ, it is our job to performGod’s desires by helping the oppressed. God wants shalom to be fully achievedon His earth—a peace with God, oneself, others, and creation.*

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WASHINGTON MEMO is published quarterly byMennonite Central Committee U.S. WashingtonOffice staff. To subscribe, send $10 to MCC,P.O. Box 500, Akron, PA 17501-0500. Foraddress changes, send both addresses to MCC.

Staff: Tammy Alexander, Rachelle LyndakerSchlabach (Director and Managing Editor), TheoSitther, Mary Stata, Christina Warner.

All biblical quotes are from the New RevisedStandard Version, unless otherwise noted.

IMPORTANT ADDRESSES

Senator ______________U.S. SenateWashington, DC 20510(202) 224-3121senate.gov

Representative ______________U.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515(202) 224-3121house.gov

President Barack ObamaThe White HouseWashington, DC 20500(202) 456-1111president@whitehouse.gov

MCC U.S. Washington Office920 Pennsylvania Ave. SEWashington, DC 20003(202) 544-6564mccwash@mcc.orgwashington.mcc.orgwashingtonmemo.org

SIGN UP!

Sign up for our e-mail action alert listsby going to washington.mcc.org or bycontacting mccwash@mcc.org.

UPCOMING DATES

April 18–19Days of Prayer and Action for Colombiawashington.mcc.org/days

April 25Let justice roll down:Trade for the common goodwashington.mcc.org/life

June 13–15Churches for Middle East Peace conferenceWashington, DCcmep.org

Staff Transitions

This semester we welcome the contributions of Ken Nafziger, on sabbatical leavefrom Eastern Mennonite University, who is exploring how arts and worship inter-sect with social justice. Also in our office this semester is Julie Huffman, a studentat George Mason University, and Jenny Dillon, who is helping to organize Days ofPrayer and Action for Colombia.

PREVENTING

GUNVIOLENCEThe MCC Washington Office Gun Violence Prevention folderhelps to equip individuals, small groups and churches to advocatefor the prevention of gun violence. It includes background materials,

a faith reflection, policy suggestions and advocacy tips to providethe tools you need to make a difference.

Available for free from the MCC Washington Office atmccwash@mcc.org or 202-544-6564.

washington.mcc.orgMennoniteCentralCommitteeU.S.

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