Continuing my Norma Rae moment... Child Labor

After expressing my Norma Rae moments on the blog, meeting with people who come at the apparel industry from all different directions, further research shows me that our world's garment industry unfair labor tangle is all profoundly more complicated than I thought.

An example of an Indian girl at work

I was inspired to write this today after watching this moving speech by Amy Poehler. While not about child labor specifically, this simple speech is just so PROFOUNDLY true, that it calls us all to action.




Yes, we want garment workers to be paid a fair wage.  And the people who make the accessories, and transport the goods... but what about the people... the CHILDREN who help to pick the cotton and make the textiles?

Clothing should be WILDLY expensive, when you really think about how many hands it takes for something to reach your closet.  My brain is spinning.  Short of picking your own cotton, and creating a completely vertical manufacturing process of your own... which would take FOREVER, by the way... what can we do?  Really, what can we do?

Seriously, what can we do?