Speaking Tour
The Justice For Jeyasre speaking tour launched on August 8th at the APALA Convention and and ended on December 6th in Minneapolis. It was an opportunity for rank and file leaders, staff and members to hear directly from Thivya and the campaign team as they shared strategy and demands in their fight with major fast fashion brands producing clothing for a US and European market. Read the full summary of the Justice For Jeyasre Speaking Tour in our wrap-up blog post here.
Thivya Rakini shared the legacy of Jeyasre Kathiravel, a young Dalit woman and union member who was organizing for better conditions at her workplace and was killed by her supervisor inspiring the Justice for Jeyasre campaign. The campaign is demanding structural changes to the garment supply chain including an end to gender based violence and harassment and freedom of association for garment workers in Tamil Nadu and beyond.
“Young women are the backbone of the fast fashion industry,” said Thivya Rakini. “Through the Justice for Jeyasre campaign and TTCU’s broader organizing strategy, we are advancing a vision for our communities, our economy, and our country. When young women are able to work with dignified conditions and living wages, they will also be able to lead broader change.”
“We are doing this tour to learn more about organizing efforts coming from the U.S. Like us, we know many are organizing and demanding change in the most difficult environments with centuries of historical oppression. From our experience and theirs, we are hopeful- we see organizing growing more from the South in the U.S. and from the Global South and we want to stand in unity against big corporations who put profit before people” — Thivya Rakini
The tour visited major US cities including Chicago, Tucson, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and more. Scroll down for recaps on each tour stop. To request more information please contact GLJ-ILRF Field Director jacobhorwitz@globallaborjustice.org.