Voices of the Movement
Source: Middle East Eye (MEE)
A Journey of Activism and Solidarity
A few words from Fields of Peace board member Annabelle Schwartz, an activist and political organizer dedicated to fostering relationships for a more just world. She graduated magna cum laude from The New School, where she studied political theory, with a particular focus on democracy and radical politics.
Annabelle’s Reflection
A few years ago when I graduated college and entered the workforce, I knew that the only career path for me was one that I believed would make the world a more just place, in part because of my experiences as a child at Peace Village. From a young age as a villager, I was taught to think critically about the status quo and to discern what messages we are pelted with that continue structures of hate and inequality. I remember sitting in media literacy class and discussing who benefits from people buying more than we need and consuming whatever the newest and best product at the time is. I also remember doing walkabouts and learning about the connections between all living things; teachers instilled in us that polluting the water or bulldozing a forest wouldn’t just harm the creatures that live in those habitats, but that each action would cause a reaction that traveled through the whole ecosystem. As an adult, these principles of empathy and analysis seem simple, but being immersed in them at such a pivotal time in my growth made me the person I am today.
Now I live these principles every day in my work as an organizer with Starbucks Workers United. I get to be part of workers across the country (and the world) standing up for themselves and changing their entire lives. Since 2021, over 8,000 Starbucks workers have voted, marched, petitioned, and picketed to demand Starbucks respect their right to a union so they have a voice in their workplace.
By the time you read this, there will likely be 400 unionized Starbucks locations in America. Joining together in a union enables these workers to push for improved conditions, but it also gives them the power to be whole persons in their workplace, to do their jobs with dignity, and to lift one another up.
More recently I’ve begun working with college students who, out of solidarity with Starbucks workers, are moving their universities to cut their contracts with the company. Many college campuses have licensed Starbucks stores, and Starbucks products are almost ubiquitous with young people, but these young people aren't taking the company's malicious practices lightly. Aside from the company’s rampant union busting, which you can read about in outlets including The New York Times and The Guardian, many students are motivated by Starbucks’ Zionism. More and more people are waking up to the horrors that are happening in Gaza and across Palestine. So many of the young people I work with are passionate about standing up and working in collaboration with others— in fact, Gen Z has been dubbed the most pro-union generation. The youth have always been activists but I see this current generation of young people as a meaningful source of hope in our interconnected fights against colonialism, greed, and austerity.
As a member of the board of Fields of Peace, I get to help continue these cycles of learning for many more generations: we aim to provide a space that fosters the passion for justice I see in these student organizers. Though we can’t wait for the next generation to stop what is happening in Gaza now, it brings me hope to imagine that through building a peace movement, the children of today won’t allow these atrocities to happen when they are the ones in peace.
