After the 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,200 workers and injured more than 2,000, Jocelyn Azada and Jonathan Londoño began The Human Thread Campaign (St. Benedict the Moor Friary, 1015 N. Ninth St.).
“The Human Thread was created to give people the resources to change their demand and bring about change in the global garment industry for the sake of the common good,” says campaign co-manager Londoño.
He said the organization is promoting links between consumers and producers and offering information about how garments are made so that consumers support companies that treat their workers well and ultimately change the industry.
“Unfortunately, there is just too big of a lack of information out there,” he said. “One would generally have to do their homework if they wanted to be kept up to date on the status of international worker rights. We are here to do their homework for them in hopes that it excites them to buy ethically made products.”
October is Fair Trade Month and The Human Thread has collaborated with Solidarity Ignite, a nonprofit that fosters university student activism around living wage issues, to host an event at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (812 N. Jackson St.) at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, “Catholics for Clothing with a Conscience.” The event features talks by two garment workers from the Dominican Republic’s Alta Gracia factory, a brand with a commitment to the well-being of their workers that provides apparel for universities such as Creighton, Georgetown and Notre Dame.
“We hope the event will spark conversations in Milwaukee parishes and institutions about sourcing living wage apparels. We want attendees of the event to go back to their parishes, go back to their workplaces and put in a demand that the next shirt order come from a unionized, living wage factory like Alta Gracia,” says Londoño. “There’s an ageless quote from Anne Lappe, ‘Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.’ We’d love to see Milwaukee and Milwaukee institutions at the forefront of ethical purchasing.”
The Human Thread Campaign is always seeking help from volunteers and interns with various talents as well as college/university and business partnerships. For more information about the event, volunteering and how you can help support the cause, call 312-517-3459 or email info@humanthreadcampaign.org. The organization’s website, humanthreadcampaign.org, launches mid-October.
