The Labor-Religion Coalition promotes Fair Trade products in their publications. It's an interlocking part of our agendas.
At our meeting one member was told, when she approached the principal great brochure... but them pointing to the "New York State Labor-Religion Coalition," especially the word religion... "No can do. Parents will object."
So it's come to this. The Religious Right in their zeal to define religion has caused this backlash. Separation of church and state means the word religion cannot be mentioned. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe in prayer in school and I even have an issue with "one Nation under God," but this does not promote any religion. It simply supports that great American value of justice and fairness. But even making that an American value is wrong. It is a global value.
Institution that are separate might be working on the same agenda should be able to share materials and resources. In our economy we need to work together to maximize efforts and minimize duplication to realize common goals.
But that word... "Religion" stands in the way.
One solution is to remove the name or reduce it to NYSLRC. Or better yet, lets call it XR. Hey if XE can purge the dirty name of Blackwater...
So why is religion a dirty word...
Well one clue might be found in the fact that another member talked about taking silimar materials to her church and was told "great stuff! But that has the word 'labor' in it."
Is it separtaion of chuch and state now? I don't think so. I think it is people making assumpation about the motives of organizations. There is nothing remotely partisan or secular or religious in promting the fact that people should be paid a fair wage for the products they produce. Well, OK, there shouldn't be!
We talk about "Interlocking Oppression." How about interlocking mistrust? Not being able to see the greater good might be a far greater concern. Overcome that.
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