By Admin | Published: November 4, 2010
Olympia BDS, POWER, Sustainable South Sound, and Bridges Not Walls came together to create a short questionnaire for all Olympia Food Co-op Board candidates in order to provide a more in depth look at their stances on social justice and sustainability issues facing the Co-op. The four questions were:
- What is the Co-op currently doing to address class barriers to membership and participation in the co-op and what are your plans to expand that work? (POWER)
- What do you feel is the co-op’s role in moving our community toward being fully sustainable? (Sustainable South Sound)
- What would you do to ensure that the Co-op upholds it’s mission to “encourage economic and social justice”, and how does that pertain to the current boycott of Israeli products? (Olympia BDS)
- We’re are an immigrant rights organization that recognizes that boycotts have historically been a tool for social justice, for instance the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Chateau St. Michelle, and the United Farmworkers, how do you see boycotts as being a tool for social change that recognizes the human rights of all? (Bridges Not Walls)
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By Admin | Published: November 3, 2010
As members of the local Muslim and Jewish communities who strongly support the recent decision of the Olympia Food Co-op to boycott Israeli goods, we feel called to add our voices to the discussion surrounding the Co-op’s decision. Reading much of the local press, or listening to the arguments rehearsed by vocal opponents of the boycott, one gets the impression that the issue belongs essentially to two polar groups of community members. At one pole are those who are depicted as a small group of passionate, though regrettably misguided, activists who single-mindedly support the boycott. At the other pole is another small group who are fervently opposed to the boycott, either because they believe the boycott to be “anti-Semitic,” or because they feel dissatisfied with the “process” through which the boycott was instituted, or with the absence of “dialogue” in the run up to the decision. In between these poles falls the greater Olympia community, painted as rife with division, and in dire need of “healing.”
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By Admin | Published: November 2, 2010
(a shortened version of this letter was sent to OPL but has not been published)
There were a number of inaccurate and misleading assertions made in the editorial section of Olympia Power & Light, issue #21, entitled “What went wrong with the co-op boycott of Israel.” The article misrepresents the facts surrounding the co-op’s process and fails to represent the high level of support this community has shown for the boycott. As a longtime resident of Olympia, and someone who has been involved in this process from the very beginning, I was extremely disappointed in the column.
The piece states “…in this one case, supporters decided to appeal staff’s decision to the Board”. This implies that the staff was able to reach a decision on the boycott proposal, to either support or reject the boycott, which was then appealed by boycott supporters. This is simply not true. At the May 2010 meeting, the Board sent the issue to the staff to see if they could come to a consensus. When the staff was unable to do so, the issue was sent back to the Board for more consideration. Consensus to support the proposal was not attained by the staff, but neither was consensus to reject the proposal. This is an important distinction to make.
This statement also directly undermines the long and arduous process which the proposal went through in order to reach the board’s decision. The process surrounding the boycott proposal actually began more than two years prior, when a working member brought the proposal to the attention of the Co-op. The proposal was ultimately decided upon by the Board of Directors, who as the elected representatives of the co-op membership, are empowered to make such decisions. This came after a period of more than 2 years.
The column continues “So the Board screwed up…they ignored their own members, or at least most of them…” The board’s decision was in direct response to an initiative that was brought to their attention by a large group of co-op members, including working members. If the Board would have rejected the proposal, would they not have been ignoring the large number of members who are supportive of the boycott? Do co-op members who support the boycott not deserve the same consideration as opponents of the boycott? The meeting at which the board voted on the proposal was extremely well attended. The fact that the majority of those in attendance were supporters of the boycott cannot be used as a criticism of the process. The Board meetings are completely transparent and open to the public. Those who are supportive of the boycott were able to organize and mobilize supporters to attend the meeting. Those who oppose the boycott enjoyed the same opportunity, and failed to do so.
The most disappointing aspect of the editorial is its contribution to the smoke screen created by those who wish to distract observers from the subject that should be in the forefront of this conversation–securing the basic rights of Palestinians. Through all of the criticism of process, the opposition still refuses to utilize the options they have at their disposal. If the majority of co-op members are upset with the process used to pass the boycott, passing a member-initiated ballot to rescind the boycott should prove to be rather easy. The absence of such a ballot is perplexing. Why have those opposed to the boycott not taken this step?
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By Admin | Published: October 13, 2010
This year’s Co-op board election is one of the most important in the Co-op’s history. There are several great candidates running for the board. At the same time, opponents of the Co-op’s boycott policy are hoping to fill the open seats with single-issue candidates with the sole agenda of rescinding the boycott.
We in Olympia BDS are concerned with the future well-being of our Co-op. We see the boycott as one element of many that compose the strong principles upon which the Co-op serves the community.
There are several important issues beyond the boycott. This includes the direction of the Co-op expansion, building the management and decision-making structure, increasing sustainability, buildng our local economy, reaching out to our diverse community. Although many candidates would fit well on the board, we had to narrow it down to five. It took several days to come to agreement, but we based our selection on the following criteria:
- Does the candidate have the Co-op’s best interests in mind?
- Is the candidate well qualified in terms of skills and experiences to be on the Olympia Food Co-op’s board?
- Does the candidate have something unique to contribute to the Co-op?
These are the five candidates that Olympia BDS has chosen to endorse:
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Erin Genia‘s role as treasurer for Amnesty Int’l Puget Sound demonstrates both her desire for social justice as a community organizer and her experience in budgeting and fundraising. She is also a low-income mother of three and a recipient of a Master of Public Adminstration (MPA). As a member of the Sisseton-Wapheton Dakota Oyate, she will be the only person of color in a board that is otherwise all-white. Her experience, awareness, and intent to work for local underserved communities are true assets for the Co-op. |
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John Regan brings a diversity of experiences in several fields, perhaps the most unique being his work with a 43-year-old food co-op in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He has also been involved in other cooperatives, in local government, in community revitalization projects, and he has been a conscientious small business owner for thirty years with a Master in Business Administration (MBA). |
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As the former Kitchen Garden Project coordinator for GRuB (Garden-Raised Bounty), Rochelle Gause has hands-on experience in food justice, local farming, and connecting with low-income communities. Add to that her MES (Master of Environmental Studies) and a motivation for sustainability through local production and reaching out to diverse sectors of the community, and you have a candidate who was made for the Co-op board. |
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As one of the most principled city councilmembers to have served Olympia, TJ Johnson brings a wealth of experience, skills, and abilities to the board. His three years working as the Expansion Coordinator for the Co-op demonstrates his commitment to this important institution. As part of Sustainable South Sound, TJ is dedicated to the environmental health and local economy of our community. |
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A Co-op volunteer since 1995, Eric Mapes is currently on the Co-op’s Ecological Planning Committee, which seeks to reduce the Co-op’s ecological impact and make the Co-op operation more sustainable and environmentally friendly. His years living overseas and his ongoing work with the Immigrant Family Advocacy Project and the Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington give him the experience and awareness for serving marginalized populations. |
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By Admin | Published: October 12, 2010
As community members and peace activists, we are proud that the Olympia Food Co-op has joined a rapidly growing global movement for social justice in a conflict for which we are all complicit. It is an honor to stand with Desmond Tutu and with prominent Palestinian and Israeli activists who are risking their lives to create a just peace.
As the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz noted recently about the Co-op and the boycott movement, “The sums involved are not large, but their international significance is huge.”
Our commitment to working for peace in Israel and Palestine is intertwined with our commitment to the Olympia community. We have sought to educate the public through events with notable speakers such as Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and Ali Abunimah.
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By Admin | Published: October 4, 2010
It was a crowded and lively downtown last Friday night for the annual fall Artswalk. Olympia BDS had a presence outside Last Word books, and also periodically on the streets as our street theater filed through downtown.
"Peace Talks on Broadway, Loosely Based on the Real Tragedy", on display at Last Word Books.
The idea for the “Peace Talks on Broadway” display came from something Ali Abunimah said at the Olympia Center a couple of weeks ago: “The peace process is like one of these big Broadway shows they keep reviving and they just change the cast. Some of the cast members are original cast members and there are new cast members that come in. And it’s always the same script. We are always told that there will be a Palestinian state within two years. A Palestinian state has been two years away now for the past 10 to 15 years. There is very little expectation of this so called peace process.”
>>> Download the leaflet that we handed out!
Starring Hillary.
The politicians/cast members where surrounded by images from the real peace process, the abundant actions of non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation that takes place daily in Palestine.
People stopped to look at images from Bil’in, Al-Arakib, Gaza, and other places.
Around the streets, volunteers performed street theater and read poetry.
Olympia BDS street theater.
All in all we had many great conversations about the Olympia Food Co-op’s boycott of Israeli products, about Palestine and Israel in general, and about the exquisite free cupcakes that people kept picking up at the Bearded Lady.
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By Admin | Published: September 28, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Port Townsend, WA) Following the intervention of the Israeli Consulate and a national lobbying group, the Port Townsend Food Coop Board of Directors decided to reject a proposal to boycott Israeli products on Tuesday night.
A similar proposal had been passed at the Olympia Food Co-op on July 16, the first of its kind to pass in the country. “This kind of interference by the Israeli government and a national organization show how important boycotts are to Israel,” said Anna-Marie Murano, Olympia Food Co-op member, “Boycott supporters are telling Israel that it will not benefit from the ongoing oppression of Palestinians.”
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By Admin | Published: July 28, 2010
(Olympia, WA – July 27, 2010) The Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to honor the international call for boycott of Israeli goods has inspired an inundation of phone calls, e-mails, and petition signatures supporting the solidarity gesture, including an endorsement from South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
The Archbishop endorsed the boycott with the following statement: “I, Desmond Tutu, fully support and endorse the Olympia Food Co-op’s boycott of Israeli products. The Olympia Food Co-op has joined a growing worldwide movement on the part of citizens and the private sector to support by non-violent tangible acts the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination. Cooperatives have a long history of working for and with the oppressed to strive for a better world, and now Olympia Food Coop has been the first to build off of that legacy in support of freedom for Palestinians. I encourage other cooperatives, grocers, and businesses to follow their courageous example of boycotting Israeli goods and for shoppers to support their principled stand.”
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By Admin | Published: July 26, 2010
Palestinian Civil Society Salutes Olympia Food Co-op’s Decision to Boycott Israeli Goods
Occupied Palestine, 26 July 2010 – Palestinian farmers unions, agricultural organizations and popular committees struggling against Israel’s colonial Wall and settlements warmly salute the historic decision taken on July 15th [1] by the Olympia Food Co-op to remove all Israeli products from its shelves. The Olympia Food Co-op has set a historic precedent by becoming the first US grocery store to publicly join the global grassroots campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it ends its human rights violations and oppression of the Palestinian people. Coming a few short weeks after Israel’s lethal attack on the Freedom Flotilla and in light of its ongoing illegal siege on Gaza, the Co-op’s decision to boycott all Israeli products reflects the growing sentiment in international civil society, including in the US, that ending Israel’s impunity and pressuring it to comply with its obligations under international law have become of undeniable urgency [2].
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By Admin | Published: July 26, 2010
Since the Olympia Food Co-op decided to boycott Israeli goods – and become the first grocery store in the US to take this courageous step for justice – support has been pouring in locally, nationally, and globally. A large thank you to everyone who has gone out of their way to support our Co-op!
Supporters of the Co-op Boycott of Israeli Goods outside the Eastside store.
In a statement of support of the boycott, Palestinian Civil Society says that “while Israel continues to ravage Palestinian livelihoods with full impunity the Olympia Food Co-op’s decision to boycott Israeli products presents a moral, effective and timely response that promises, if emulated across the US, to significantly challenge Israel’s criminal impunity, furthering the chances for respect for human rights and a measure of justice for the Palestinians.”
2235 people (and counting…) have signed the petition in support of our Co-op. See the signatures from all over the world!
Local community members such as TJ Johnson, Monica Peabody, Muhammad Ayub, Nomy Lamm, Cindy Corrie, and Calvin Johnson have all endorsed the Co-op’s decision to boycott Israeli goods, and are echoed by prominent national figures: Naomi Klein, Richard Falk, Colonel Ann Wright, Anthony Arnove, Paul Kivel, and Cindy Sheehan.
Several organizations and individuals from the global Jewish community have signed an international statement of support. Also, before the boycott was passed, members of our local Jewish community spoke out in support:
“We reject the notion that Jewish identity necessitates unconditional support for the government of Israel and for its human rights abuses. This expectation is particularly egregious when it is invoked to obstruct genuine attempts at peace and justice, confining the matter to a ‘Jewish’ affair rather than honoring our commitments to universal human rights and public accountability.”
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