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NWCRI - A PROGRAM OF THE INTERCOMMUNITY PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER
NWCRI CREATING A WORLD WHERE ALL CAN THRIVE Mary, who passed on her 92nd birthday, was a hero in the best sense of the word. Her obituary tells the story of a mother of 9 children, who was a registered nurse, a curious and life-long learner, and very active in local politics and social justice movements. Shortly after she moved to Seattle in 2010, Mary participated in a Justice workshop where she connected with the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center (IPJC). When she attended a Justice Movie Night of “The Dark Side of Chocolate,” she learned about the reality of human trafficking and forced child labor on the cocoa plantations in West Africa and discovered that corporations like Nestle, where her husband Joe had worked for years, profited from the labor of children. Mary found hope in the work of corporate change and responsibility that quietly yet persistently emanated from IPJC’s Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment Program (NWCRI). After reflecting on her family’s long-standing connection with Nestle and considering what she had learned about child labor, she decided to write a letter to Nestle and donate her small monthly widow’s pension from Nestle to IPJC to support its work of creating corporate change. Mary’s efforts to end child labor continued this year as we dialogued and filed a shareholder proposal with Hershey requesting the Company to eradicate child labor from its —TOM MCCALL West African cocoa supply chain by 2025. ▲ Cocoa beans drying in a village in Ghana © Francesco Veronisi, flickr In the 28th year NWCRI engagements included:
“HEROES ARE NOT GIANT STATUES FRAMED AGAINST A RED SKY. THEY ARE PEOPLE WHO SAY: THIS IS MY COMMUNITY, AND IT’S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE IT BETTER.”
▶44 corporations ▶50+ dialogues ▶37 shareholder resolutions
We were inspired and motivated by Mary and all of you, who like us, are working to create a world where all can thrive.