Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Critique and Alternatives I was recently invited to a viewing of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls at a nearby church and enthusiastically accepted the offer to watch another film about the sex trafficking industry. Though I know more than the average joe about trafficking simply due to the fact that you can’t talk about …
Last month, I joined a community organizing group here in Charlottesville. I did it because having a pet cause no longer feels like enough, because people in this town struggle to fit in, to get by, to get the helping hand they need, and I just might be able to make a difference. Don’t get …
Millennial Evangelicals and the Fair Trade Movement Published in 2015 For fair trade activists, this is the busy season. On April 24, people and organizations across the globe asked retailers, “Who made my clothes?” wearing their garments inside out to expose the tags and sharing their photos on social media. It was the second annual …
Justice Conference 2015 Recap The title’s a reference to Sufjan Stevens’ Chicago, which is a pretty perfect summary of my Justice Conference experience. Read Part 1 of my Justice Conference recap here. Racial Reconciliation Pre-Conference, afternoon sessions About a dozen of us were seated in a circle in a small classroom waiting for the first afternoon class …
Justice Conference 2015 Recap: Part 1 A whirlwind Thursday… I put off writing about my experience at the Justice Conference in Chicago last weekend, at first, because I was physically exhausted and didn’t think I could go back over my notes and reflect appropriately without getting overwhelmed. Instead, I went out to the mountains twice …
Style Wise has always been about building a community of people centered around a common goal of buying and living more ethically. Because of that, it’s never been a priority to share the more intimate inner workings of my values system. And, more than that, it’s kind of terrifying. My blogger friend, Hoda, recently …
Modern Slavery Exhibit at the Freedom Center Daniel happened upon the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center while researching Cincinnati based attractions. Housed in a modern building that follows the curves of Ohio River currents as it overlooks the Ohio River, it serves both as a memorial to those who suffered under the heavy burden of American slavery …
On Wednesday, Rolling Stone (the article is quite disturbing, so proceed with caution) published an exposé on the gang rape of an undergraduate student by fraternity members at the University of Virginia. Then the sh*t hit the fan: the frat house involved was vandalized on Wednesday night, professors organized protests, students organized a slutwalk, and the …
Hard Lessons from the Thrift Shop I became the manager of a church-affiliated thrift shop in 2014. I ended up working there for 5 years. I thought I knew what the challenges would be. I thought I had a grip on the industry. But I’ve learned a lot: about consumerism, about prejudice, about deeply held, …
What is StyleWise Blog? This post is the first one ever on StyleWise, first published on January 5, 2013. StyleWise is a blog about shopping and living ethically and responsibly. My name is Leah Wise and I used to have a fast fashion blog. Daily reflections on my own insatiable materialism burdened me and eventually …