[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Sweatfree in Philly, 12/7 (with Dennis Brutus)

[Patrick Bond]

SweatFree Communities Conference - Workers Rights Board Hearing in Philly
Start: July 12 2008

Register for the conference at www.sweatfree.org

Speakers will include:

* Carmencita "Chie" Abad, former sweatshop worker in U.S. territory of 
Saipan
* Kalpona Akter, former child garment worker from Bangladesh
* Dennis Brutus, human rights activist
* Bishop Dwayne Royster, Pastor of the Living Water United Church of 
Christ, Philadelphia
* ...and many more!

The Philadelphia Workers' Rights Board is a project of the Philadelphia 
Area Jobs with Justice, a coalition of faith leaders, students, unions, 
and community members who fight for living wages, top-notch benefits, 
and respect on the job for people in Philadelphia. SweatFree Communities 
is a national network that organizes to end sweatshop exploitation by 
inspiring responsible local purchasing and fostering solidarity between 
U.S. communities and workers worldwide. This event is part of the 
National SweatFree Summit. Visit http://www.sweatfree.org/summit or 
contact summit(at)sweatfree(dot)org for more information. 
==================

CARMENCITA "CHIE" ABAD speaks from personal experience about the 
hardships endured by millions of workers in sweatshops around the world. 
Chie spent six years as a garment worker on the Pacific island of 
Saipan, a U.S. territory. She endured wretched conditions, frequently 
working 14-hour shifts in order to meet arbitrary production quotas for 
her employer, the Sako Corporation, which made clothes for the Gap and 
other retailers. When she tried to organize a union, Chie was met by 
fierce resistance from management and eventually lost her job. She now 
lives in the U.S., and works with Global Exchange to educate consumers 
about the inhumane factory conditions occurring worldwide, including on 
U.S. soil. Chie was instrumental in forcing 26 major retailers to settle 
a lawsuit in September 2002 to improve conditions in Saipan. Her story 
is an inspiring example of how people can win if they stand up for their 
rights.

KALPONA AKTER became a child garment worker when she was 11 years old. 
She worked in a Bangladeshi garment factory for eight years and 
struggled to form a worker union in her factory. Due to her organizing 
efforts, she was fired and blacklisted. Now, as the Director of 
Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, she supports labor union 
organizing; helps workers strengthen their negotiating skills and make 
legal complaints; and investigates labor conditions in factories 
producing for institutions with sweatshop-free sourcing policies. 
Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity's research is respected 
domestically and internationally, enjoys the trust of garment workers, 
and has a track record of producing thorough and credible research in 
the apparel sector.

DENNIS BRUTUS is a lifelong human rights activist and poet. He is 
perhaps the best-known African poet writing in English, although his 
books were banned for many years in his home country South Africa. His 
tireless work against apartheid in South Africa got him arrested and 
shot in 1963. He was sentenced to an 18-month jail term with hard labor 
on Robben Island where he broke rocks with Nelson Mandela. He was sent 
into exile in 1966 and proceeded to lead the successful movement to have 
South Africa and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) banned from the Olympics and 
other international sporting events. Since then he has remained active 
in struggles for human and cultural rights, including co-founding the 
Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance in 2002, connecting 
international solidarity with workers to the philosophy of Black 
Consciousness. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of 
Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

BISHOP ROYSTER has served in Pastoral ministry for the past 16 years in 
United Methodist Church, the Mennonite Church and the Baptist Church 
traditions, and is the founder of Living Water United Church of Christ. 
Bishop Royster is an advocate for preparing congregations for the 
ministry of availability. He is fond of saying that, "Ministry should 
not be limited to Sunday mornings." It is with this passion that Bishop 
Royster became involved with Jobs with Justice supporting workers across 
the Delaware Valley to let them know that the faith community will not 
sit by and allow injustice and oppression live in any form.

These events are part of the National SweatFree Summit. To register for 
the Summit or to sponsor the event, go here. Please contact us if you 
can spread the word about these events in newsletters, church bulletins, 
email lists, etc.