Long before the University joined the Worker Rights Consortium and Eugene came into the spotlight after Nike CEO Phil Knight announced he would cut his ties with the University, Eugene was picked as the location for a conference by the United Students Against Sweatshops and 180/MDE.
All of this has pushed the sweatshop issue, the University and Eugene into the center of national media attention. But while some say our area has become a national hotbed for sweatshop labor activism, others say we merely have a well-connected and active community.
USAS, a Washington, D.C.-based organization, works to end sweatshop labor practices in foreign countries. The group 180/MDE, which stands for Movement for Democracy and Education, is based in Madison, Wis., and aims to bring about global change through teach-ins and education on such issues as corporate control in universities and society.
The conference will take place from Aug. 16 through Aug. 20 and will educate participants about the issues both groups care about. USAS organizer Eric Brakken said he expects 400 to 500 participants to attend the conference in August.
Human Rights Alliance member Sarah Jacobson said Eugene was chosen as a location for the conference in part because HRA members at the University are members of both groups. Jacobson said organizers also considered New Orleans, La., and a campus in Kentucky but ultimately chose Eugene.
Jacobson said the conference will combine the goals of both the USAS and 180/MDE.
“It definitely has a double focus,” Jacobson said.
She also said that in light of the recent developments following the University’s decision to join the WRC, Eugene seems even more appropriate as a location.
“It’s kind of ironic, in retrospect, that we chose Eugene,” Jacobson said. “I think now Eugene would definitely be chosen.”
Brakken said Eugene seemed like a good place to hold the conference because HRA members at the University have been active and involved, and at the time the decision was made, Nike was a major corporate donor. Brakken also said the area from Eugene to Portland has a history of “vibrant” activism and good networks among students.
“Eugene certainly is one of the hotbeds for activism in the country,” Brakken said.
But he also pointed out that the decision to hold the conference in Eugene came long before the Johnson Hall protest and sit-ins.
“This was decided upon, really, before all the recent stuff happened with Nike,” he said. “Recently, [Eugene] has certainly become the focus.”
Jacobson, however, said she did not believe Eugene was a forerunner on sweatshop labor activism, and neither did Duncan McDonald, the University’s vice president for public affairs and development.
“Are we any different in that way than other university towns?” McDonald said. “I’m not so sure we are.”
McDonald said the area, like many other college towns across the nation, has always seen activism.
“There certainly is a proclivity for political and economic inquiry here,” McDonald said.
Jacobson said Eugene has come into the spotlight as a result of the recent media attention it has received nationwide but to say that it was a forerunner on sweatshop labor activism would be too strong.
“Recent media attention on Eugene … is the most graphic example of corporate influence on education,” she said.
City of Eugene to host USAS labor meeting
Daily Emerald
May 8, 2000
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