Saturday 27 July 2013

Life, Dignity, and the Tragedy in Bangladesh

Kathleen and I are away from Winnipeg for a little stretch of time.  I like that phrase "stretch of time". Out here next to a lake, where time seems more elastic, there's time to read and reflect, along with walking, canoeing, and eating (of course).  I brought the August 2013 Sojourners magazine along, which on first skimming, appears to have quite a few excellent articles.

The first article that caught my attention is the one entitled "Life, Dignity, and the Tragedy in Bangladesh", and picks up on some of the other posts here in the Just Living Blog.  It is written by Mary Priniski, who is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian and serves on the executive committee of Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice.  She has been involved with worker rights issues for more than 30 years.  I'll post some excerpts here, but encourage you to read this brief column in its entirety, including detailed statements of the seven social principles, by clicking here.  (The image is taken from the online version of this article.)

THE APRIL 24 collapse of a garment factory near Dhaka, Bangladesh, killed more than 1,125 people. That tragedy followed a fire that killed 112 last November at a factory making goods for companies including Walmart. According to the International Labor Rights Forum, at least 1,800 garment workers in Bangladesh have died in fires or other factory disasters since 2005. The collapse near Dhaka is the largest disaster in that time and the one that has gotten global attention.

Image: Chinese garment factory, Luisa Fernanda Gonzalez / Shutterstock.com
 
As a Dominican Catholic sister and member of Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice, I approach reflection on such a disaster from the foundation of Catholic social teaching. Each of the social principles relates to the situation in Bangladesh and challenges us to reflect on our own regard for those who provide our clothing.
  • Life and dignity of the human person
  • Call to family, community, and participation
  • Rights and responsibilities
  • Option for the poor and vulnerable
  • The dignity of work and the rights of workers
  • Care of God's creation
  • Solidarity 
The social teaching of our churches challenges us to conversion to a way of life where consumerism is not our ruling value. The disaster in Bangladesh is just one indication that we are a long way from a society in which we value both individual flourishing and the common good.

 - Submitted by Gareth

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Delivery of Letters to Walmart and Gap Re: Bangladesh Safety Accord


On Sunday June 23, Bob and I went to the St. Vital mall and delivered 26 letters to Walmart and 26 letters to the Gap.  The letters, which many of you signed, urged Walmart and the Gap to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, an internationally recognized, legally enforceable, union supported safety accord. 

At Walmart, we talked to an assistant manager, who promised to give the letters to the store manager.  The store manager phoned me the next day and said that he gave the letters to the head office in Toronto, and someone would contact me to discuss them. 

At the Gap, we met with a store manager who gave us a standard response letter, which says that the Gap is committed to improving working conditions in Bangladesh, but does not have any details.  The manager also promised to send the letters to the head office, and someone would contact me. 

I have not heard anything from the head office of either store.  I intend to follow up with this issue in the coming months.  Perhaps we can discuss further action at one of our fall meetings. 

 - Submitted by Amanda

Perspectives on rooming houses from a man who’s studied them



The Winnipeg Free Press published this article July 20.  It features our very own Mike M.  Good story, Mike!
Mike Maunder at his Spence Street home, which is classified as a rooming house.
Photo source:  Ruth Bonneville, Winnipeg Free Press

You can read the article here.

- submitted by Gareth

Monday 22 July 2013

Lanterns for Peace Ceremony: August 9th 2013



Photo source: flickr.com
On August 9, please join Project Peacemakers at the Memorial Park fountain on the Legislative grounds for their annual Lanterns for Peace Ceremony.  Come at 7 p.m. to decorate your lantern.  The theme this year is "Hope and Renewal for Peace in the World".  At 8 p.m, Terumi Kuwada will speak about her visit to Japan and her thoughts for Hope and Renewal.  We will also hear the Mayor of Hiroshima's speech.

Around 9 p.m. we will begin the launch of the lanterns.  Mark your calendars and we hope to see you there for this beautiful event.

- Source:  Project Peacemakers Newsletter

Hold out your hands to beauty

Photo source:  deviantART.com
Back in early December of 1958, I was 19 years old, living with my wife and baby boy in a two-room apple picker’s shack a few miles down the road from here. I had a job driving dump truck for a two-bit outfit that was working on a short stretch of highway just down the hill from where this university was built so many years later. I remember leaving the shack and walking out to stand by the highway in the wind and snow. I stood there shivering in my canvas coat as I waited to be picked up by the grader operator in his rusted pickup truck. The sky was hard and grey. Its only gift that winter day was ice disguised as a fragile, bitter snow.
As I stood there in the false dawn, I looked up for a moment and as I did an iridescent blue butterfly the size of my palm fluttered down and rested on the sleeve of my coat just above my wrist. It was winter, it was cold and I knew the Okanagan Valley where I had lived most of my young life did not harbour huge, shiny blue butterflies, not even in summer. ...

I have never forgotten it and know the encounter changed me. There are mornings in our lives when beauty falls into our hands and when that happens, we must do what we can to nurture and protect it. That we sometimes fail must never preclude our striving.

Read the convocation speech here.

See a video of the convocation speech here.  Lane's speech commences at about the 5 minute mark.

- submitted by Kathleen


Monday 1 July 2013

AN INITIATIVE TO REMEMBER AND HONOUR FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN


"You are not alone. We hear you and honour you."




"This red ribbon signifies the loss of the children that were taken from the ancestors of our people and it signifies the voice of these children, the little voices that were not heard.
The beads represent the four directions, red, yellow, black, and white. All children of all races need their stories to be told by our elders who know and to the ones whom still feel the pain and still mourn their babies."



Stanley and Deborah Normand

Cori and I had the privilege of meeting Stanley and Deborah Normand during Aboriginal Day celebrations at the Forks. With minimal help they had prepared 500 commemorative ribbon pins to honour the many aboriginal children of residential schools who were taken from their homes and families. Stanley's vision was to hand out the ribbon pins to all festival goers, however, in a very short time the ribbon stock was depleted. 
Stanley is now committed to attending next year's celebrations with many more ribbons to hand out. Given the daunting nature of ribbon pin preparation, he would like to recruit help so that he can have sufficient stock to hand out to the many who wish to wear the ribbon as a tribute of honour and remembrance of the children who had no voice.

*Those interested in assisting Stanley can contact Karla directly or respond  to this post by leaving a comment.

Submitted by Karla 
Photos by Karla