Dear Editor,
So, as we celebrate 50 years since Marin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech (your archive report from 1963), I was wondering what progress we have made against the injustice that he so eloquently describes?
Yes, race-relations have improved in the US (and in the UK) but what about the ultra-cheap goods which fill our shops and supermarkets? Surely relying on production in ultra-low-wage regions (e.g. production of Apple computers by Foxconn) is only one small step away from slavery or serfdom!
Indeed, just a few months ago a factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing many hundreds of people (mostly young women) who were busy making cheap clothing for western markets.
So, have we (The West) adjusted our buying habits? Or insisted on paying more for our clothes? Or closed down companies importing exploitative goods? Or implemented labelling declaring how much the workers earned producing a particular item? I don't think we have, have we?
I wonder what would Martin Luther King would have to say about that!
Regards
