Easthampton Community Advocates for Apartheid-Free Coop

In Easthampton, the local community in the shape of the Campaign for an Apartheid-Free River Valley Coop gathered on sidewalks and later in the store’s outdoor seating, to advocate for the removal of Israeli products from the shelves of the River Valley Cooperative. It was an important event, and the local component of Raging Grannies, a movement known for their social justice songs, which has been “active for only about four months, [and had] about 25 members”. Shelly Greenstein from Easthampton and Batsheva Frantz of Israel had the opportunity to actively engage with passers-by and other demonstrators. Campaign’s dedication was part of a larger teach-in, which was organized for the public and coop’s members. The later is a crucial fact, as the petition to remove the products from the shelves was part of “cooperative with 16,000 members; 700 signed the petition”.

The weather was glorious on Sunday, people were out and about, visiting the shop on their way from or to other places, and the event was impossible to miss. The Raging Grannies, favorite for their fun songs, and their Easthampton branch members were out in full force. The management of the cooperative allowed the demonstrators to utilize the outdoor seating area of their Riverside store was a move which shows that it is possible for commercial interests and their active social and political consumers to still find common ground. No shopping was disrupted, no chants were started inside the store itself or at the door. This, in turn, meant that no shoppers were disturbed in their shopping.

This event is but a showcase of the wider trend, that of local communities taking an active role, and adopting a social identity on a whole different scale, one that includes global communities. One may argue that such an early display in a small parish of Easthampton would not have a great response effect on the sales. However, the model of protest adopted by the Raging Grannies, and the rest of Raging Grannies, as well as the model of compromise, seems to be a good representation for potential future same-scale activism. That is important because community activism on a commercial scale of ethical business would almost certainly have chain effects. Therefore, there would be future similar events, and they may lead to products tied to geopolitical disputes disappearing from the shelves across the world.

Clearly, the demonstration was a small and peaceful one, and the main point of contention, the shared rights of Palestinians, is an issue about which many communities have already taken a decisive action. However, it is important to consider the wider implications of such local movements, given that the discussion was largely about the removal of Israeli products. They are very often considered as a wide-reaching, sometimes rather general, topic for the wider political and ethical community. It should be noted that the two do not necessarily lie far apart.

The event in Easthampton is an interesting example of a local community combining with a wider set of communities to influence globalization and business on an international scale. In the future, it will be local decisions and actions which will influence the business and ethics of sales around the world. The Raging Grannies and their local Easthampton members and the cooperative had a very good way of working out a deal, and a good way of growing a dialogue that would be beneficial for both.