Some of the most inspiring advocates of Palestinian freedom are Jewish

Proving once again that some of the most inspiring advocates of Palestinian freedom are Jewish, a "Jewish group in Montreal is accusing city authorities of censorship over its decision to remove a library exhibit of the work of murdered photojournalist Zahra Kazemi. On Friday, members of the Canada Jewish Alliance Against the Occupation held a mock book-banishing ceremony in front of the Côte-St-Luc library where Kazemi's photos had been on display." Rock on, my friends. You made my Sunday.

And may we all take the lesson--sticking up for your own group (however you define that group) is a good thing, and that means making sure your group is doing the right thing by everybody. So, all you rich & famous American-Afrikan athletes, actors and hip hoppers, time to drop the kot-tam Nike endorsements and stop wearing all the other Timberland, Adidas and other products of sweatshop criminality. Didn't like slavery? Didn't like apartheid? Then you must oppose a global dictatorship of sweatshops that brutalises somewhere between 30 and 40 million women and girls.

As The Ecologist writes: "Nike spends more money on advertising and promoting the reputation of its products than most other companies in the world – $1.13 billion in 1998. Celebrities, such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Monica Seles and Carl Lewis are paid huge sums of money for their association with the company’s products. In 1998, for example, Nike paid Tiger Woods $28 million and Michael Jordan $45 million.

"Contrast these vast sums with the money Nike spends on philanthropy in the countries where its products are made. In Indonesia, for example, it has spent $100,000 since 1998 on continuing education programmes for Nike workers and $150,000 on small loans to unemployed and disadvantaged people. These payments are also dwarfed by the amount the company spends on strategic philanthropy and cause-related marketing in the US."

Wake up, Black celebs. KRS-One said way back in 1989, "The day of the ignorant rapper is done." I wish he'd been right. So stop helping White corporations owned by the super-rich (who profit from firing poor White, Black and Brown workers in North America) to exploit poor Brown workers overseas. Oh, and read this.

And if you're looking for what to wear that's sweat free, you can start by checking out the side link for Global Exchange , shopping at American Apparel (actually owned by a Montrealer) and reading my interview with Charlie Kernaghan, the man who made Kathie Lee cry.

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