A FairJewelry.Org Exclusive; Interview With The Rapaport Group’s Amanda Stark
“I left a piece of my heart in Africa. I went back in … 2006 to see if it was still there”
Amanda Stark was recently hired as Fair Trade liaison for the Rapaport Group. Anyone who is interested in fair trade and socially responsible jewelry has a friend in Amanda and also, of course, the Rapaport Group. She is the first person in the jewelry industry whose job is specifically to promote these issues!
Amanda Stark of The Rapaport Group
I met Amanda and we spent some time together at the JCK Show, but she was too busy for me to actually have a chance to interview her. We keep in touch via email. One of my favorite things she does is sign her emails, “Peace, Amanda.”
Essentially, Amanda Is a peace worker. I sent her these questions by email:
FJ: Let’s start with your background. What are some of the things you’ve done in the past that led Martin to hire you as the front person for his fair trade initiative?
Amanda: The first overseas development project I was a part of, was in 1994, and I was fortunate to be able to travel to Zimbabwe to build an HIV/AIDS orphanage in 1995. These trips turned me into a humanist, with a great appreciation for the impoverished in other nations. They also ignited the travel bug inside of me, and have guided my life in many ways. Since these trips, I have done quite a lot of study/work/travel overseas.
I started saying in 1995 that I left a piece of my heart in Africa. I went back in the late summer of 2006 to see if it was still there. I did find this piece of my heart again whilst there, but was reminded that it should stay, and so left it there when I came back to the States. I look forward to visiting it from time to time, and am able to see glimpses of it through the music and art of the vastly varying continent, as I am now listening to some beautiful African music – that is how I remain at peace.
I earned a Masters degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University in Washington, D.C. I have also been working on a Graduate Gemology degree through the GIA. For my MA thesis, I wrote about the results of the Kimberley Process in Sierra Leone. I also was previously working for a company that Martin had ties to which is working on a development project among alluvial diamond miners in Sierra Leone.
These factors culminated in me being referred to Martin through the State Department, and my subsequent hiring.
FJ: In a certain way, anyone who enters a new culture is a child in that culture, but in indigenous traditions, at least, the child was honored because he or she had “New Eyes Wisdom.” So I am wondering from your point of view, entering into the jewelry industry with “new eyes,” what is most striking to you about it? How does it feel to be in the middle of this new world? Feel free to go anywhere with this question.
Amanda: What I will say here is not simply because of my new role with such an active company-but surely shows my perspective. I truly am startled at how an industry that is so wrapped around emotion and intimate feelings between humans –or at least claims to be- is so tuned out to the reality of where their products come from. I have been shocked at how few Jewelers are currently making an effort to better others’ lives. The Blood Diamond movie portrayed the realities as they were in Sierra Leone during the war. Jewelers started to move to know more about the Kimberley Process as a result of that, because they felt they HAD to. I would wager that you could still go in to countless jewelry stores and receive misinformation about the Kimberley Process and the conflicts in Africa relating to diamonds. This demonstrates that it is absolutely necessary and exciting to be able to have such an occupation, at such a time, with such a company that is so eager to make a difference in people’s lives.
The flip side of this is that there are incredibly passionate people committed to change in the industry. It is refreshing to relate to these people, like you, Marc, who have already done-and surely will continue to do so much good in the name of an industry that has mostly turned its head.
FJ: I would imagine that given your position is new, you are having to basically define your job. What are you involved in, short term and long term? Also, what do you do on a typical day as a “fair trade” jewelry advocate?
Amanda: Defining my job has been in part listening to and acting upon the dreams Martin has – and they are lofty, but achievable. The Rapaport Group is certainly a team with vast talents and geographical locations. This team has come together to support fair trade, so while I may be the front person, there are actually teams organized within our company to accomplish the various fair trade goals. I do have to say that with my background, there still has been a learning curve, and I look forward to more of my own dreaming as I am coming out of the curve.
Short term we are currently working on a number of things. Our website www.diamonds.net/fairtrade is certainly in need of an overhaul, and that is in process. We are also working to produce materials regarding what the Rapaport Group is working on in fair trade, and to educate interested parties about ethical practices. We are also working with Madison Dialogue on the Ethical Jewelry Summit to be held in Washington, D.C. October 24th-26th.
Longer term we are working with a development group in South Africa – Vukani-Ubuntu to create Fair Trade Jewelry. This is still in the early stages, though we have been interacting with them for quite some time. The goal of Fair Trade Diamonds from Sierra Leone is also on the table. We are working to carefully take responsible and sustainable steps in order to achieve both of these goals. We will also be liaising with TransFair USA to aid them with their upcoming Fairtrade Diamond Feasibility Study.
A typical day as a fair trade jewelry advocate involves me interacting with others on our teams regarding these various endeavors I have mentioned. A typical day may also include educating the public, which has proven to have quite a range. This may be from a middle school student who has just seen the Blood Diamond movie and is learning about the plight of the Sierra Leonean people for the first time, to a Jeweler just hearing about fair trade for the first time, to the media such as the Discovery Channel who has interests in the fair trade work that the Rapaport Group is doing -for their programming.
FJ: What are some of the up and coming initiatives in the fair trade jewelry movement supported by the Rapaport Group?
Amanda: The biggest initiative we are currently working on, is this South African jewelry line. We are working with an umbrella organization –Vukani-Ubuntu which represents 38 cooperatives in South Africa – a country whose unemployment rate for those between 18 and 35 is at 40%! These cooperatives educate historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) in jewelry design and manufacturing. From there, these individuals are able to carry on into careers. Vukani-Ubuntu has been working in this arena for 8 years and now more than ever need a larger arena for the jewelry to be sold in order to continue on in the education of the HDIs. Among other aspects, the Rapaport Group is working on assisting in the route-to-market aspect that they so desperately are seeking.
FJ: Can you tell us something about Martin’s efforts to create a fair trade diamond from artisan mines in Sierra Leon?
Amanda: Martin has developed a relationship with the people of Sierra Leone, and has been traveling there for years. He was even encouraged to and did meet with Revolutionary United Front’s (RUF) leader Foday Sankoh back during the wartime years. It is this history in relating to the people, and these people’s personal histories, that make the most sense for us to start working on fair trade at the mines in Sierra Leone. Martin helped fund a USAID initiated development project for the monitoring of diamond mines in Sierra Leone which began in 2002 and has been managed by Management Systems International (MSI).
My first day of working with Martin, we had meetings at USAID, the Department of State, the Department of Labor, and CASM. He was interested in talking to each of these groups about varying aspects of fair trade artisanal diamond mining in Sierra Leone. The grounds Martin conveyed that he stood upon include: monitoring alluvial sites, fair compensation, community benefits from mining, and a do no harm way of operating –both in human and environmental relations. Each group eagerly listened, but we currently have received positive feedback in the form of logistical support only from CASM. This has led us to seek out other resources, which we are currently in the process of doing.
FJ: One last question. Toward the end of my interview with Torry Hoover, President of Hoover and Strong, he said, “A high tide floats all boats.” I know you and the Rapaport Group as a whole have worked in this spirit. How can those of us in fair trade and socially responsible jewelry sector, I call us the “moral minority,” work to support each other? What can we do for you and what can you do for us?
Amanda: I agree with you that we –the Rapaport Group- have worked, and are committed to continue working in this spirit. After years of trying to live this way personally, I would have struggled to take a job for a company that did not work this way.
What can we do to support each other could come with a very easy business response, but reaches deeper. One aspect relates purely to marketing. We all need to get the word out about what is going on in fair trade, but this group – as you say, the ‘moral minority’ – should stand unified in promoting the group as a whole as it promotes oneself. The whole is stronger than the sum of its parts I have heard. I know this to be especially true when trying to create social change, and when a group is in the minority. We – those working for ethical, development, and fair trade jewelry – are together, all up against both of these factors, and should stand together.
What you can do for me is to make sure that I know as much about as many current jewelry industry matters related to ethical, developmental, and fair trade jewelry as possible. This, in the end, will enable me to facilitate a more open and relevant dialogue surrounding these topics for those inside as well as outside of the jewelry industry.
What I can do for you is to ensure that I will be here to work with you and for you. I understand that jewelers are reaching out to the consumer in a way that I do not. Again, it will only be through a unified effort that we can create true, honest, and sustainable change in the lives of some of the poorest people on earth.
Peace.
~Amanda
You can speak directly with Amanda via email by clicking here.
