Date of publication: November 11, 2006
Source: Amherst Bulletin
Author: Rachael Hanley, Staff Writer
Marlena Fontes, 17, said it was the sight of landfills and words of a nun in a Mexican slum that convinced her to look into purchasing practices at her high school.
The Amherst Regional High school senior now hopes to start a campaign to prevent her school from buying products that are made with sweatshop labor.
Her campaign, which is currently in the planning stages, began to form after Fontes traveled to Mexico with a group of activists last year. She said a friend encouraged her to join the group, which went to inspect the poor working conditions most locals have endured there since the inception of NAFTA trade agreements.
"Matamoros has changed from having one of the highest living standards, to being poverty stricken, with all the local jobs gone," said Fontes. "The people are living without any of the services they should be getting. There's no clean water or food."
Inspiring meeting
There were so few jobs that Fontes saw families who were living near trash heaps in the hopes they would find something among the waste to sell. In one crowded barrio, Fontes met a nun who had opened a clinic and a clothing exchange to try to combat unhealthy living conditions.
"She was inspiring," said Fontes. "She said to me, 'I have been working here for years and years and I've only done one percent of what needs to be done in this community alone.'"
Fontes had grown up listening to stories about similar social justice issues. Her grandmother used to tell her about life as a seamstress in Portugal. One story her grandmother told was particularly memorable, Fontes said. While working at her machine one day, her grandmother ran out of string and turned to the woman behind her to borrow another spool.
"It was about five seconds, she turned around and her supervisor started yelling at her and fired her," said Fontes. Such tales, "really opened my eyes," she said.
Yet, even after her trip to Mexico, Fontes was still not quite sure what impact she could have locally. Then last spring, she spoke about Matamoros at a local rally for social justice. After the rally, Liana Foxvog, an organizer for the nonprofit group Sweatfree Communities, asked her if she'd like to organize a sweatfree group at ARHS.
Improving conditions
The goal of Sweatfree Communities is to help sweatshop workers improve their working conditions and form unions. High school students working with the national organization are encouraged to find out where their schools buy products such as uniforms, soccer balls or clothing with the school logo. Students then ask their schools not to buy from companies that have a record of making their products with sweatshop labor.
Since their first meeting, Fontes has been visiting Foxvog every few weeks to hash out ideas for starting a Sweatfree program at the high school.
Recently, Foxvog invited Fontes to speak about her trip to Matamoros at a conference on Sweatfree initiatives. The conference, which lasted for two days and was held at Smith College, was a chance for Fontes to network with fellow high school students and learn from other speakers. She came away from the conference full of enthusiasm and determination, she said.
'Getting people going'
Fontes said her own efforts at the high school are in the initial stages. As she assembles a group of students to help her with the Sweatfree project, she said she will be looking into the existing buying practices of the school and what companies they are purchasing from.
"The hardest part is getting people going," said Fontes.
Still, Fontes is hopeful that after the initial organizing, her efforts will quickly gain support from other students, school officials and local residents.
"The Amherst area has a long history of social justice," she said. "The teachers are interested in students having responsibilities and getting involved. ... I think the school will be pretty receptive."