See the previous blog post for details regarding this boycott of Ugandan Coffee. The boycott is a response to Uganda's draconian "Kill the Gays" law, which is expected to pass Uganda's parliament in the next few weeks.
To the list of coffees included in the first post, please at UGANDAN DELICIOUS PEACE COFFEE. This coffee is currently distributed in the United States by the Thanksgiving Coffee Company, located in Fort Bragg, California. The motto for this coffee is "Not just a cup - but a JUST cup." However, there is no justice at all in Uganda for gays and lesbians.
Drop this business a note or call them to tell them you why you will not buy their product and that they're supporting a homophobic and oppressive government.
Thanksgiving Coffee Company •
Mail Order (800) 648-6491 • Wholesale (800) 462-1999
19100 South Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437
4 comments:
I work for Thanksgiving Coffee Co. You are absolutely right that Uganda's government is on the verge of passing a hateful bill. We noted as much on Twitter the other day (see @ajustcup). However, we can't punish the people that are working together for peace in spite of their intolerant government. Boycotting it will not achieve your desired effect of sending an anti-hate message to the government. All it will do is punish a group of people that are very consciously working together to promote peace and tolerance (did you read ANYTHING about the coffee before deciding to add it to your list?). The Peace Kawomera Cooperative is a group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim farmers working together to draw a connection between peace and prosperity. This is the kind of effort we need to support in Uganda in the face of their anti-gay legislation. These farmers are building TOLERANCE - something the world can benefit from by using them as a model. We can't agree with you more that the anti-gay Uganda bill is horrifying, we absolutely DO NOT endorse it. However, we also know that boycotting this Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher, Halal, and peace-building coffee is not the best approach. However, we would like to thank you for drawing attention to this issue. We must speak out against homophobic actions on a global scale.
If you prefer a more productive way to express your horror and rage at this disgusting bill, you can email the US/Uganda Ambassadors by following this link:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5712/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1309
As Jenais said, boycotting a small cooperative business says nothing to the legislators drafting the bill or the right-wing conservatives endorsing and promoting it.
Thank you for getting fired up about this crucial issue, and thank you to Jenais for defending the amazing work of the Mirembe Kawomera coffee co-op.
I respectfully disagree. I have an innocent and peaceful group of people to protect and speak up for, also, a group that far too few people in Uganda and much of Africa are willing to speak up for -- gays and lesbians. Indeed, this legislation would make it a crime for any Ugandan to speak up for them.
Does the Kawomera Cooperative speak up publicly and loudly to defend gays and lesbians in Uganda? Will you put yourselves in jeopardy to do that? What will you do to resist this legislation if it passes? Before there can be tolerance, there must be justice, and if even one gay person is harmed by this legislation there is no justice in that country.
I support any effort to bring peace and prosperity to any struggling people. But that peace and prosperity MUST also include gay and lesbian people.
Post a Comment