#PayUp Movement

It is no secret that popular retailers and brands have not fairly compensated their workers for working in terrible working conditions. However, because of the #PayUp movement, over 17 brands have paid backorders to outsourced factory workers. Petitions are extremely effective and this movement is no different, popular stores like Zara, H&M, and Adidas have paid their workers in countries like Bangladesh. Although we should not be applauding them for doing the bare minimum, with world-renowned stores like these, it pushes the movement in the right direction. However, it comes as a surprise that companies like Forever 21 and Walmart have multi-billion dollar revenues yet do not pay their workers.

For brands to be removed from the #PayUp unpaid list, they must abide by paying suppliers in full for orders disrupted by Coronavirus promptly. As for the 17 brands that paid back their workers, they totaled over $600 million in Bangladesh alone.

The reality of the situation is that companies originally decide to mass-produce outside of the United States to avoid paying workers minimum wage and to exploit underprivileged areas of the world. The low wages do not cover the necessities of a worker let alone their family. With the lack of a proper work environment, workers are at a higher risk for the Coronavirus and because of the lack of health benefits, they have no way to pay for their medical bills. With the lack of proper pay, workers are destined to experience starvation, destitution, and various other life conflicts.

The dozens of companies that have not paid their workers whether they are American based or overseas, workers are now facing major financial and health problems. From being forced to live on the streets to unpaid work, garment workers are being hit especially hard in the wake of Coronavirus.

In the era of social media, Kylie Cosmetics is the latest company to be found taking advantage of workers in Bangladesh. News surfaced that she has not paid her workers who are working during the virus outbreak. While Kylie Jenner can buy multi-million dollar mansions, she refuses to pay her Bangladeshi employees. Sweatshops are dominated by women and are paid little while the products they produce are high end and make the rich richer. Likewise, Shein is also under heat for the exploitation of workers. Companies like these are contributing to the high poverty levels and risk the health of their workers. At the end of the day, the activism these companies do display is performative. When the time comes to act on their displayed values, celebrities like Kylie and multi-million dollar fashion industries fail to fulfill their promises.

The dozens of companies that are trying to silence the voices of activists calling for immediate action have been noted. They can delete comments on their posts and refrain from commenting but those who want to be on the right side of history will elicit their voices by utilizing their platform.

Down below is a petition for the #PayUp movement, please take a moment to sign and share the link with others:

https://www.change.org/p/unless-gap-primark-c-a-payup-millions-of-garment-makers-will-go-hungry?signed=true.

Annexation of Palestine

Countries across the globe are condemning Israel for their plan on annexing Palestine on July 1st, but will the thousands of signatures and global outrage be enough to put a stop to their plan? World powers such as the United Kingdom and France express their discontent with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. His election campaign was focused on the annexation of Palestinian territory, specifically the West Bank, and he is devising to fulfill his promise on behalf of his right-wing supporters. By forcefully extending Israel's territory, their illegal occupation of Palestine will leave thousands without refuge.

Israel was created shortly after World War II as a haven for the Jewish where they took territories of neighboring Arab countries. When the Palestinians fought back, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) ultimately left places like the West Bank and Gaza in turmoil. The Oslo Peace Treaty was created in hopes of bringing mutual understanding to both Israel and Palestine but as their issues piled up, they have not been able to make border agreements. Israel has a GDP (Global Domestic Product) surpassing $245 Billion and having support from the United States, they had the necessary means to gradually consume Palestinian land. To this day, they have violated various human rights sanctions put into place to protect Palestine. Although powerful world leaders turn a blind eye, Palestinian voices are heard and continue to be amplified by activists around the world.

Students for Justice in Palestine, SJP, is an organization aiming to give Palestine a platform while educating individuals of all ages on what is happening behind the scenes. What the media does not depict is how lethal Israel is towards Palestinians, hence why families back home communicate with their relatives to inform them of the nightmare they experience while they are awake.

Countries like America benefit from Israel expanding their empire, at the end of the day the only reason why world leaders stay silent is that they are economically benefiting from Netanyahu's expansion. Romanticizing presidents like Barack Obama is part of the problem, by illustrating leaders as charismatic and relatable, everything they do behind closed doors stays behind closed doors. The most Israel has faced is a slap on its wrist but as long as they extend deals, they will face no consequences. Innocent civilians have been killed in cold blood by the IDF, properties have been stolen, and what is supposed to be sacred land for both Islam and Judaism has now turned into a symbol of power for Israel.

But how far is Netanyahu willing to go to further Israel's status and agenda? When Israel invades West Bank and Jordan Valley on July 1st, they will disregard international law despite the United Nation's attempt to put their plan to a halt. Potentially over 300,000 Palestinians will be exposed to displacement and ruthless IDF soldiers, as Israel will take control of the majority of natural resources, food, and property. By denying Palestinians equal rights and citizenship, every peace treaty will be off the table.

Despite Israel's despicable locus, there are ways YOU can help. Keep sharing information on the Annexation of Palestine, donate, and sign petitions. But most of all, discuss ways you can help by contacting your SJP chapter, your respective educational institution will lead you to more resources. If you are unable to get a hold of a specific SJP chapter, contact Loyola University Chicago's SJP and they will assist you.

Uyghur Muslims

For centuries, leaders have repeated devastating and traumatizing events without recollecting what happened the last time a leader, arguably a dictator, tried to wipe out thousands of civilians. Individuals with similar religious beliefs, appearances, and ethnicity are targeted because they tend to be minorities and appear as a threat to the dictator's agenda.

The Holocaust by Adolf Hitler. Genocides by Pol Pot. A regime of terror by Idi Amin. Ethnic cleansing by Saddam Hussein. And so many more. The cost for their desperate desire to obtain state and world domination came to the expense of innocent lives. Trump and Xi Jinping are no different.

The Uyghur Muslims were brought into media attention sporadically throughout 2019 because of how bad the situation had gotten in China. Forcing them to go against their religious beliefs by drinking alcohol, eating pork, selling Uyghur Muslim women, and persecuting Uyghur Muslims. They were trapped in internment camps so that the Chinese government could simultaneously brainwash them and separate them from their religious freedom. The world was in an uproar but the American government did not react until this past week. However, some revelations were made from Trump's former national security advisor. He claims Trump supported President Xi Jinping's decision to put over a million Muslims in internment camps but put on a show to the American people.

To put a bandaid on his decision to support China's ethnic cleansing, Trump signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020. Both the House and Senate are in favor as the policy aims to hold individuals accountable for eradicating Muslim minorities in China. Trump being a controversial president, to say the least, has repetitively attacked the Muslim population in America from building his campaign on ostracizing Muslims to the 2015 travel ban. It does not come as a surprise for his former staff member to come forward and share this information as history tends to repeat itself.

There have been Uyghur Muslims who escaped the concentration camps in Northwest China and now share their story. In local events, DePaul Umma hosted their annual Fast- A -Thon in February where they invited Uyghur Muslims to shed light on the catastrophic events taking place in China. Their story is both inspirational yet a reality check. Despite coming to America and building a life for themselves here, they continue to find ways to protect their family members and the Uyghur Muslim community as a whole. By amplifying and offering a platform where hundreds of college students and adults can learn and educate themselves on the privilege they have, the DePaul Umma held an informative evening.

Hearing the survivor stories, they are traumatized from what they saw, heard, and experienced. I can not speak on behalf of Uyghur Muslims but I can amplify their voice and help their situation. There are ways YOU can help, by signing petitions and donating, we can push the United States to dive into a deep investigation on the Chinese government's terrorizing of Uyghur Muslims. The horrid experiences they experienced should alone justify a deep investigation into the Chinese government.

Listed below are some links to access more information on Uyghur Muslims and places to donate:

1. Save Uighur: https://www.saveuighur.org.

2. https://www.saveuighur.org/act-now/