Ganesh Himal Trading Interview with Tekia Thompson

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Ganesh Himal had the chance to interview Tekia Thompson who is the assistant manager at Ten Thousand Villages in Overland Park, Kansas. She is also the host of the new talk show serving the fair trade community,  AmplifyLIVE!  Recently, she started a blog on Instagram, Black & Fair.

GHT: Tell us all about Black & Fair and why you feel this is a topic that needs to be explored.. blog… ( what are you calling this?)

TT: Wow where to begin. Black & Fair (an Instagram blog) was born out of the internal struggle I’ve had with myself and this question of “Where do I, a black woman who wants to support and live out the mission of fair trade fit in?” I rarely saw myself as the consumer or leader. Rather, I should say someone who represents me, a woman of color. Every trendy hip photo, blogpost, webinar, YouTube show etc. showed a certain look. I’ll be honest, a very white look.  Black & Fair is about learning, challenging, and changing the narrative of how people of color are viewed in the world of fair trade. I AM NOT an expert and I don’t speak for all people of color, but I firmly believe that the conversation should be happening and if there wasn’t a platform to do it on, so I created one myself.

GHT: How did you get involved in fair trade?

TT: I think I’ve always been involved in some aspect of fair trade before I even know what fair trade really was. I have spent a good majority of my life in the mission field locally and abroad and always found it disheartening when others worked alongside me believing the communities in which we served needed saving or couldn’t thrive without us there. I wanted to be different and always approached it as a place of doing life together and creating a space for others to be seen. At its core, fair trade is about putting people and planet first, so I think it has always been with me. I became more involved on the “corporate” side of things when I started working as the Assistant Manager at Ten Thousand Villages in Overland Park KS.

GHT: How do you hope Black & Fair influences the discussion around racism within the Fair Trade Community?

TT: My hope is to plant the seed within the fair trade community that we, people of color are a vital, active contributing part of this community! All communities in fact.  Not just as marginalized artisans but as makers, doers, dreamers and yes, leaders! I am hoping for an open, honest discussion. I know I’m walking a fine line in the content I’ve been sharing and how for some this may be great but for others I’m poking the bear. But hey we all know winter is coming and I don’t want that beast going back into hibernation. We need to be talking and actively working together to seek actual change.

GHT: You have been leading small group discussions on racism.  What inspired you to do the small group settings? How have they been going?

TT: Yes, my best friend who is also black started an initiative called Colorful Conversations. The focus of Colorful Conversations was to create a grace-filled space in which our white friends and family have the opportunity to openly share their thoughts, concerns, ideas and perspectives on racism and its very real impact as well as listen to our unique perspectives and experiences as black women in America. We have been leading these discussions with a spirit of grace and humility; meeting people where they are in order to build a bridge toward cultural and personal change. At first we didn’t want to even think about it but after having several talks with various friends and feeling this tug on our hearts we thought, we can do this. We have held 12 small group sessions so far and each one has been raw, real, eye opening and life changing.  Having the small groups allowed for people to feel more comfortable sharing and asking the tough questions. We have been bold in sharing our stories as well and in some ways it’s been an emotional rollercoaster and in other ways it’s been very freeing! We have been asked to create a community -wide event so that’s next on our very full plates.

GHT: You are very busy with several projects, what do you do for fun? Or to unwind? 

TT: SLEEP! Ha. I have been listening to a lot of music. Everything from classical to country to KPOP (yes I love Korean dramas and music)! It has helped me take a step back and regroup. I do know that I will have to slow down soon and delegate one of my many projects, so we’ll see what that will look like in the upcoming months.

Visit Black & Fair

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