I would like to respond to the column recently published entitled "Activism For Activism's Sake" (Nov. 12). The author, although she made some very good points, seriously misportrayed the campaign on campus to pressure New Era Cap, a licensed provider of UB baseball hats, to end its sweatshop labor practices.
As an organizer, I was very pleased with the outcome of the Anti-Sweatshop Day of Action on Nov. 5 that the recent piece commented on. We had a great turnout at our rally on campus and an even better turnout at the educational speaking that night.
The piece downplayed the organizers of the Anti-Sweatshop Day of Action, and stated that most of the people at the rally were uneducated on the issues at hand. The author did, however, go on to say that when the rally began to disperse, a few well-informed students were found. Those students were myself and the other organizers of the rally, all four of which have been educating ourselves on the New Era situation for quite some time now by analyzing both federal and non-governmental reports into New Era's unjust labor practices.
I feel that education is a fundamental component of action, which is why we are taking steps to try to inform UB students about the New Era situation. As part of this effort, there will be a teach-in on Dec. 5 at 7p.m. in Knox 110 that'll discuss the findings of the National Labor Committee, the Worker Rights Consortium and OSHA in regards to New Era's labor practices. I encourage all to become informed, and to then act accordingly.
