Does anybody want some Fair Trade Chocolate?

By: Mihaela Anton


MANHATTAN COLLEGE - Picture this: its 3:30 pm, a Wednesday, you’re out of class, tired, hungry, and on top of all soaking wet from the rain. You tell yourself that there is no way you’ll go to any in campus club meetings ass a matter of fact you’re going to do something productive today: You’re going to take a nap!
“I need you to do me a favor! I need you to come to my first club meeting and bring Marita too!” said Stephanie Brooks, the new president of already thought to be  deceased Association for black culture club.  
Pad and pen ready to take down a sensational story about a what was promised to be, a no censored debate about different racial taboo themes got fair trade chocolates and disappointment instead.  Refreshments were supplied by Miss Lois Harr, the advisor for this club, who attempted to raise the spirit of an already deceased situation by bringing fair trade chocolates and engaging in conversations with one of the two people who “bothered” to come.  
“Let’s wait for a few more minutes maybe there are still people who want to come” was whispered by the newly president throughout the meeting. Nobody else came…
                Founded in 2007-2008 Spring Semester in response to the case of racial discrimination which occurred within a Louisiana high school, the Association for Black Culture had seen better days.  In the first year they had meetings and the turn outs were impressing, and as always when something gets stirred till there is nothing left to stir this club died slowly and fell into oblivion.  When asked if she knows why this phenomenon is happening Mrs. Harr said “the African American population is included together with Hispanics, international and Asians student within the 31% of the schools population also known as the underrepresented group.  And this situation can still be considered a social stigma present in the US society where the division between people limited at the division between whites and blacks”
                4:45 PM.  With two people in the class and a bowl of uneaten fair trade chocolates, Stephanie Brooks and Mrs. Lois Harr decided that they shouldn’t give up and schedule movie night, in their last attempt to attract people to the club.  They also decided upon the fact that this event will have a bigger poster on which the word Pizza will have a higher case than the actual event or movie shown.
                Later that day in the student lounge the Italian club had an Espresso Night Event to which many of the already nourished students coming from Lockes, Dantes, or Platos were attracted to.  Historically this club is impressive and probably is the only one  able to equal  the school’s history, being around for more than 30 years. “I’ve been the Advisor of this club for more than 20 years and I took it over from a greater history” said Noni Wagner Advisor of the same club and also the head of study abroad department.  Famous for putting together great events, from opera shows, to cooking nights, and from ice skating in central park to having their own religious ceremony in Italian. 
  “There is no event without food and you have to have them both to raise awareness among the students and to make them involved. Nobody comes to meetings anymore”.  At the event were around 10 students, part of the club body which took care of the atmosphere and welcomed everybody who was stepping in with warm welcoming smiles while saying “Come in! Everybody! You don’t have to be Italian to drink espresso!”   Sophomore Rebecca Cook said.  She also declared that the turnout was amazing and they had more than 50 new sign ups to add on their email list.  
                The last remark pushed away any doubt concerning the authenticity of the people attending the event, and brought back the earlier deserted club meeting, for which people probably thought they need a certain skin color.  As Lois Harr said “A group of cauasian people might not have the same issues as a group of African American one, but that doesn’t mean they can’t share their views over the same issues.”
On the way to the room  while caring a plate with chocolate fudge cookies and fair trade chocolates Stephanie Brooks said with a loud sigh “Next time I’ll put up a bigger poster.”