Jada Grant

*Interviewee does not want their name disclosed so I will call them John. For the most part this is all the answers compiled together with more sentence structure. I wanted to get the most authentic write up as possible.*

I am John and I moved to the United States from Nigeria when I was 3 years old. My parents wanted to go to the United States for better opportunities for my siblings and I. They believed and still to this day that if I would have grew up in Nigeria, Nigeria would be completely corrupt and their would be no way I was successful in that type of environment as a young adult. This was definitely a push factor for my parents to choose for our family to migrate to America. 

A pull factor to come to America for my parents was the fact that workers got way higher wages compared to Nigeria. Overall, America to my family was the land of opportunity that the especially wanted to my siblings and I to unlock. I am not completely 100% sure of the process of getting over here, however I know it is very detailed and that probably was a huge barrier.

Because I was so young, I did not get to see visibly what the gender roles between my parents were like in Nigeria and what their were like in America. All I know is that my mother stays at home and cleans, cooks, etc. while my father works. My parents expect a lot from me and I first I did not understand. Being in my sophomore year at University of Maryland-College Park as an Chemical Engineering major, I would have thought by now my parents would be off of my back and they haven’t let up. If I get a B on an assignment, my mother says “Where is the A?”. I understand why they expect so much of me; they did not have the opportunity to have great higher education and a chance at a Bachelors degree like my siblings and I do, so they just want me to be the best and work hard.

The company, Lush, which is sells bath and body products, is a fair trade company. From my recollection, I believe the majority of their products are organic or the ingredients are. They have plenty of store fronts, including in Towson town center, a.k.a. Towson mall. They ethically buy their ingredients and do not test on animals!

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Lactose, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, and Vanillin [Artificial Flavor]).

What are the working and living conditions of the people who produce the cocoa?

Unfortunately, the working and living conditions of cocoa farmers are very low. Not only do they get paid very little, they are exposed to dangerous and hazardous materials, the environment is collapsing, little to no safety equipment, etc. and that can cause serious harm and/or death. The communities are suffering because of the low income and they do not receive any form of healthcare.Everything is negatively impacted in these communities by cocoa production.There are reports that the Hershey company wants to improve these conditions.

How is it produced? Are child laborers involved?

The cocoa pods are harvested from cocoa trees which require a lot of attention because it is a very delicate crop that grows year long. When the cocoa pod is cut from the tree, they are large and contain 20-30 seeds. Once the pods are ripe,they are cut open and the cocoa beans are cleaned, fermented, dried and packed and put into sacks, and ready to be shipped. Yes, child laborers are involved. In order to reduce costs of production, children work on these plantations because they would not get much pay. The age range is from 5 years old to 17 years old and these children work in hazardous conditions. According to MakeChocolatefair.org, there are 500,000 children working on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast in abusive conditions.

How does the cocoa get to the market?

According to the International Cocoa Organization, nearly all cocoa coming from places like Ivory Coast, is sold through the physical market. Small buyers buy directly from the farmer. Those small buyers sell the cocoa beans to the wholesalers. The wholesalers then sell them to the exporters.

How are prices set?

The prices are set based on the supply and demand of the market. How much the cocoa beans are will put a spike in price in the finish product which is the chocolate bar. If the cocoa supply is low, then the prices will rise. However, in places like Ivory Coast, they need the income they can get, so they will work on these plantations to increase the supply, which in turn will bring the price down,

Which international corporations dominate the chocolate trade?Who regulates it?

According to the International Cocoa Organization, the top corporation is Mars  Wrigley Confectionery with total net sales of about 18 billion dollars USD in 2018. These corporations comply with Fair Trade, which as a set of requirements and certain standards companies must abide by.

How is chocolate marketed?

Chocolate marketing is very dependent on a lot of factors such as age, gender, seasons of the year, etc. For example, during the Christmas holiday season, I see the Hershey Kisses commercial where the chocolate act like jingle bells. That is a marketing strategy. Another example is the left Twix, right Twix phenomenon which target demographic is young people. These chocolate corporations are marketing to where they believe they are going to get the most net sales.

Where did you buy it?  

I got the bag of Hershey Kisses from Rite Aid.

How much profit does a store owner make on a bar of chocolate?

According to Azcentral.com, one can make 23-47 percent profit margins on a bar of chocolate.

Any hidden cost that are not included in the price you paid?

There is nothing extra in costs that even help or benefit the cocoa farmers.They do not receive anything other than their small amount of income. I would consider this to be a hidden cost.

Now that you’ve gathered some information about the components of this chocolate bar, write its biography. Tell the story of its life from the farming of its ingredients to the production and consumption.

The article I chose is about Walmart and their employees: https://www.vox.com/business-and-finance/2018/5/25/17379730/walmart-stock-buyback-worker-wages

In regards to Marxism, this article is a representation of it. The synopsis of this story is as follows: With the current tax break the Government put in place for business owners, corporations such as Walmart were able to benefit heavily. However, they only boosted their employees wage to $11 an hour which is below the federal poverty line for a family of three. Walmart is putting their money back into their shareholders and not their employees.

Walmart owns the means of production to the fullest. The are the ones who provide the jobs which makes them the Bourgeoisie. The ideologies that they represent are to make sure their shares go up in their corporation and not about their employees because of this capitalist society.

Kinship diagram

Nyasia Dean and I came up with a list of articles that deal with how gender impacts everyday life.

Here are the articles listed:

https://www.today.com/news/nasa-astronauts-weigh-canceled-all-female-spacewalk-t151306

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/02/joe-biden-what-we-know-lucy-flores-and-amy-lappos-allegations/3339616002/

amp.usatoday.com/amp/3339616002

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/mexicos-me-too-movement-swells-in-media-cultural-circles/2019/03/27/882c36c6-50d6-11e9-bdb7-44f948cc0605_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.baeb3aaf42ba

www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/world/the_americas/mexicos-me-too-movement-swells-in-media-cultural-circles/2019/03/27/882c36c6-50d6-11e9-bdb7-44f948cc0605_story.html

https:/www.today.com/today/amp/tdna151306/www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/11/actor-terry-crews-sexually-assaulted-by-hollywood-executive

The first cultural adaptation I thought of was prosthetics such as prosthetic legs, arms, and hands. Some people are born without limbs and some people lose limbs from horrible accidents. With missing limbs, natural selection proves that one loses the completely functionality that one limb has. There are certain things one just cannot do if they do not have an arm, leg or hand such as walk, bring things, etc. However, with cultural adaptations, the use of prosthetics helps trump these circumstances. Prosthetics are increasingly becoming human like with technology improving. The fish hook hand was the first time I saw a prosthetic in Pirates of the Caribbean and it allowed Captain Hook to still get functionality even though he lost his hand. Prosthetic legs allow humans to walk and run when previously they had no way of doing so. Now, technology has the power to make this cultural adaptation extremely similar to having human limbs. For example, currently scientists are producing a prosthetic hand that connects to the nerves in one’s brain to sensor pain and heat.

The class I chose to do this observation was my COSC 112 course, also known as Intro to Computer Science 2. I chose this course because it is fully based on lecture and lab which means there is a great deal of student participation. 

Question 1

In my course there are 21 men and 4 women. Yes, I said 21 men and 4 women. In the field of Computer Science the number of women, especially black women is very low. Men tend to speak more in the course, specifically in the lab hour of class. I got to 35 tallies and then i stopped tallying. However, with the girls in the class we are completely different. Before we ask our professor a question, girls will tend to try the answer themselves before asking while guys will just blurt it out. Also, when answering a question posed to the class, guys are more comfortable with being loud and wrong while girls, including myself, has to know the definitive answer before raising our hand. Girls in the class talked about 15 individual times to the professor. 

Question 2

In the lecture, it is a quick less than 10 second question asked. In the lab, the questions are longer and the average number of words used is approximately 70-80 words. 

Question 3

The men in the class are more willing to answer questions or attempt to do things even if they are wrong. They fire out questions to the professor as they have them. The girls engage in more dialogue with the professor to not only answer the question, but to also explain how they got that answer and how to apply the answer. Girls in the class are more attentive during the lecture, so during the lab portion of class there are not many questions asked by them. 

Question 4

My professor is a man. He really encourages participation and communication with everyone. However, i do notice that he will take his time to make sure the girls in the class do not feel excluded so he will call on us more frequently, he takes more time to answer our questions, etc. 

Question 5

In reference to the last question, he called on girls 4 times, asking each girl in the class a question. He called on guys 7 times. It is going to be disproportionate due to the small amount of girls in the class.

Question 6

Gender: “Baby I’m down for you, I’m down for you”

The artist is talking to his girl specifically about being on her side.

Power: “Rolling rock and get to popping wit’cha, Ain’t nobody get to fighting wit’cha”

The artist mentions his physical power in regards to violence and her girl.

Dialect: “And on a nigga can’t nobody get’cha”

So these are my two Alex and Ani bracelets! I actually bought these for a birthday present for myself! #Treatyoself (If you get the reference, you are awesome). 

History of the item

Alex and Ani was founded in 2004 by Carolyn Rafaelian and the name of the company comes from the names of her two daughters. They create “bangle bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings that adorn the body, enlighten the mind, and empower the spirit”. Due to their high gross in revenue from 2010 to now, they now consist of 1,800 specialty stores such as department stores, 108 Alex and Ani stores and Amazon.

Where the item is made or manufactured

My bracelets were made in America which for me is awesome to hear because the majority of huge retailers leave the country and harmfully impact the countries they manufacture from, also known as flexible accumulation. They specifically manufacture in Cranston, Rhode Island and they aim to restore Rhode Island’s reputation as the Jewelry Capital of the World. On all Alex and Ani bracelets there are three small circle charms; one is their trademark, one is the recycle logo since their jewelry is made out of recyclable materials and one is the made in America symbol. Having their items made in America is a part of their definition of the brand.

Impact on my life

The two bracelets I have represent my astrology. One bracelet is called the Scorpio Two Tone Charm Bangle. The charm has my astrological sign on it. The other bracelet is called the November Birth Month Charm Bangle. The charm is a topaz crystal which represents by birth month. I wear these bracelets every day because my zodiac is a piece of who I am. It gives me a sense pride about the aspects of me and my nature when i wear it. Also, the bracelets stack on top of each other, which to me signifies that they go hand and hand.

Their Employees

Alex and Ani has more than 1,500 employees and the people who make them are fellow community members. They also vendor from their neighbors. Alex and Ani’s website states that, “But we don’t just make jewelry in Rhode Island - we make a difference in Rhode Island”. Each employee that works for Alex and Ani is given time off during work hours to volunteer for charitable organizations. The employee’s lives are comfortable and no one who works for Alex and Ani are being impacted negatively by them. They particularly live just like you and me.