Labor Activisit to Speak at Carlow this Wednesday (April 9)

Brothers,

Below is a press release on an event occurring this Wednesday night. I will be coordinating a trip to attend for those who are interested. We will leave from the Central Catholic quad this Wednesday at 5:15 PM. Spread the word.

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Charlie Kernaghan is an internationally known critic of sweatshops and supporter of worker’s and human rights in the global economy

Pittsburgh – Charlie Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee (NLC), will speak at Carlow University on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Kresge Theater on the fifth floor of Grace Library on Carlow’s campus in Oakland at 6:00 p.m.

Kernaghan advocates for worker’s rights, especially those of children and young women. He is best known for his 1996 exposure of Wal-Mart’s mistreatment of child laborers in Honduras who were making items for the Kathy Lee Gifford clothing line. He has testified before a Senate, the House of Representatives, and the United Nations on the horrific working conditions at factories everywhere from China to South America. Along with the United Steelworkers Union (USW), he is a leading proponent of the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act, which currently has 23 co-sponsors in the senate, including Senators Clinton and Obama. He was awarded the 2006 Cultural Freedom Award by the Lannan Foundation. Earlier in his career, Kernaghan taught psychology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

“We are very excited to have Mr. Kernaghan at Carlow and this is a wonderful opportunity for the University,” said Mary Frances Reidell, director of Health Services at Carlow and an advisor to the Students for Peace and Justice. “He is probably the world’s premier expert on the issue of sweatshops and worker exploitation.”

The event is sponsored by “Sweat-Free Carlow” via a grant provided by the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility at Carlow University. The Students for Peace and Justice at Carlow will be co-sponsoring the event.

For more information, please contact: Francesca Lies(liesfm@carlow.edu) Nicole McCandless(mccandlessna@carlow.edu), Mary Frances Reidell(412-578 6174), or Joel Woller(412-578-6336)

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About Carlow University

Located in Pittsburgh, Pa., Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Formerly Carlow College, the institution was granted university status in 2004. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow is the first women-centered university in the state of Pennsylvania.