There is a chance the clothes you are wearing were made by someone working in a sweatshop.

Citizens and civil rights organizations such as PETA, people for the ethical treatment of animals, have frowned upon the underground factories powered by large companies in the United States and around the world.

Robert J.S. Ross, a sociology professor from Clark University will shed new light on the issue on Sept, 15 in his lecture “It’s in your jeans: success and failure in the anti-sweatshop movement.”

Anthony Ladd, professor of sociology, invited Ross, not only because of their friendship, but also because he is a well-known sociologist who is knowledgeable in the topic.

“Bob is also a major historical figure that I teach about in my sixties class, because he was one of the founders of ‘Students for a Democratic Society’ during that decade,” Ladd said.

“Blue jeans are one of the most common examples of the kind of commercial apparel that we wear today in the Western world, particularly in the United States, that are produced overseas in sweatshops,” he said.

Ross’s lecture will focus on the history of these shops as well as explain why they have popped back up and are back in business after a relative period of nonexistence. Another focus will be on the media’s portrayal of sweatshops, as well as offer his analysis of the current anti-sweatshop movement that is taking place worldwide.

Ross will also explain how sweatshops contribute to the increasing global traffic in clothing and fashion between developed and underdeveloped countries.

“We want students to understand how global capitalism works today and where our jobs and where a lot of the products that we used to produce in this country have gone, and they have gone overseas, because it’s much cheaper to produce them overseas,” he said.

Ladd explained that another reason this happens is because companies “can escape environmental standards and labor standards.”

Ross has written books, scholarly articles, chapters and essays. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at many universities around the world.

Ladd is expecting a wide range of students from different majors as well as university’s, since he distributed fliers to Tulane University, University of New Orleans and Xavier University.

This problem is still prevalent, and to the surprise of many, it even happens in our own backyard, without people being aware.

“We have sweatshops right here in the United States,” Ladd said.

Ladd believes this topic is fitting since sociology studies global, labor, race, economic development, class and gender inequalities, it is fitting that this department hosts the event.

“Sweatshops ties in perfectly with all these because it’s largely young, poor women who are producing most of these consumer products that you and I purchase in this country,” he said.

On the other hand, some argue that sweatshops create paying jobs for people who didn’t have them in the first place. This, however, doesn’t make it right, according to Ladd.

“What has to be remembered is that in the vast majority of these countries, people were at one time, in control of their own livelihood,” he said.

“It’s only been in the last twenty to thirty years that these areas have been industrialized,” he said.

At one point, Loyola had a student organization called Loyola University Students Against Sweatshops created by sociology students. This is a national organization that exists in various campuses around the country, including Tulane University.

“They led a protest to force the president of Loyola and Tulane at the time, to sign an international agreement, saying that our bookstore would not sell any products with a school logo, that had been produced in sweat shops around the world,” he said.

Ladd is hopeful this lecture will revive the issue on this campus.

“We, as a social justice institution, of all schools, should be following that mandate,” he said. “This is a hot issue on college campuses around the country.”

Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]