Sweatshops Still Exist After 20 More Years
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Your articles on garment industry sweatshops (Nov. 28) brought back quite a few memories. While a senior at Belmont High School in Los Angeles, I was interviewed by a panel of UCLA alumni for a scholarship. A very distinguished-looking gentleman politely asked me what my parents did for a living. Being rather naive, I replied, “Oh, my mother works in one of those sweatshops in Chinatown.”
He looked at me quite amused and laughingly said, “Those went out decades ago.” The other panel members chuckled along with him.
That was nearly 20 years ago, and the sweatshops still exist. Somewhere a Cambodian, Vietnamese or Latino child will be asked where his parents work, and he should answer truthfully, “In a sweatshop,” because that’s what they are, and no one should doubt him.
DELIA L. YU
Laguna Niguel
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