GoLeft Star Activist Interview: Beth Myers

GoLeft’s Star-Activist Interviews
GoLeft tracks where pop culture and activism meet (who doesn’t enjoy the escapism of Hollywood and the great shoes?), but the real celebrities of our world are the progressives working every day to fight injustice, improve everyone’s quality of life, and build community. So here’s our version of the celebrity profile: GoLeft’s Star-Activist Interviews, which helps us get to know some amazing people doing fascinating (and important) work.

GoLeft has teamed up with STITCH on our Sex and the City action. Read more about what Beth is doing to bring to light the work of women who working in oppressive work conditions around the world.

Interview with Beth Myers
Beth Myers is the Executive Director of STITCH. STITCH is located in Washington, DC and Guatemala City, Guatemala and works to unite Central American and U.S. women workers to exchange strategies on how to fight for economic justice in the workplace. Beth joined STITCH as the executive director in January of 2004. She brings a wealth of political experience, a strong background in organizational development and a dedication to community organizing. Over the past three years, STITCH has educated thousands of diverse women in North America and hundreds female unionists in Central America to support their struggle for economic justice. Find out more at www.stitchonline.org.
GoLeft had a great time talking with Beth about her amazing work raising the consciousness of American consumers about the price of our materialism; the endless opportunities to push celebrities to monitor and hold accountable how their clothing labels are produced; and we shared our admiration of Project Runway’s Season 1 winner, Jay McCarroll and his commitment to make sure his clothing line was not made by children in sweatshops.
You can reach Beth at .

GL: How do you explain your work to people?
Beth: Our work supports women workers who are organizing in labor unions or outside of labor unions for more rights in their jobs. We work in Central America in the textile and banana industry and in the United States we work primarily with Central American immigrant women mostly in the agricultural and food processing industry.

GL: When did you know you wanted to be an organizer?
Beth: I always knew I wanted to be an organizer. I wrote editorials in my Catholic high school newspaper about sexism in the Catholic Church. When I was in college I attended the 1992 pro-choice march in D.C. and really for the first time understood the power of people and the power of a movement. Being a part of that event and standing with hundreds of thousands of other women, I knew I wanted to be part of a larger movement for social justice. 

GL: What is great about being an organizer?
Beth: The best part is meeting amazing people who are committed to changing the status quo. People who day in and day out are taking chances to make the world a better place.
GL: And what makes you a great organizer?
Beth: My ability to talk to anyone. And my desire to do that.
GL: What is the best line you’ve ever used to engage someone in your campaign?
Beth: One of the things that really works for us is when we do the red carpet call “Who are you wearing?” It’s great to challenge people to think what goes into the clothes that they’re wearing.
GL: What do you love about pop culture?
Beth: Pop culture ties us together in a lot of ways. It is always amazing to travel Latin America and see “Law and Order” on television or to talk to people about music and make those connections across borders. Pop culture can make connections that people may not necessarily have.
GL: When was the last time you used a pop cultural reference in your work?
Beth: We talk about celebrity clothing lines as a touch stone to talk about sweatshops. While they aren’t the only ones who use sweatshops they definitely put a face on the issue.  For example, in the last couple of months some of our allies have been in talks with Jennifer Love-Hewitt and Kevin Bacon about a factory that is producing clothes for Hanes brand. We call on celebrities that endorse and put their names on products to hold those companies accountable when they are acting in a way that they think is inappropriate. Find out more at Six Degrees of Exploitation.

GL:  Which celebrity would you love to come out on your issue and why?
Beth: Every other day someone is coming out with a clothing line. I would love to see anyone of them go visit a factory and meet the people that are making their clothes. Any number of these folks should be on our side of this issue. I think Kimora Lee Simmons, who has been such a icon in the Asian community or P. Diddy, who has been so vocal on voting would do a great service to the movement if they went and met the people of color around the world who sew these clothes.
GL: What music lyrics do you live by?
Beth: This is such a hard one. I only have stuck in my mind a song that I absolutely hate and that’s John Mayer’s “Waiting for the World to Change.” It’s more music lyrics I don’t live by. Those lyrics really piss me off. We are not waiting for the world to change. We are changing the world and anyone considering waiting, let me encourage you to get off your duff and do something. 

GL: How do you balance your passion for your activism with your passion for your partner?
Beth: We come out of the labor movement and one of the great victories of the labor movement is the eight-hour workday. I do try to really maintain a work/life balance. And remembering the values that we fight for in terms of fair work and the ability to live your life should be something we live. 
GL: Does your family support the work that you do and is that important to you?
Beth: My partner is incredibly supportive of my organizing and without his support I don’t think I could do a lot of what I do. He’s the guy who stays home and makes dinner for my volunteer board members; he’s the one who listens as I agonize about the day-to-day in and outs; he’s also the one who says ‘hey, let’s go to a movie; let’s go to an art exhibit. This is really important because organizers are so prone to burn-out and we need to pull back and have that balance.

GL:  Is there a relationship depicted in pop culture (fictional or real) that you admire or think is a healthy model? Why?
Beth: I think it’s hard in terms of looking for feminist relationships in pop culture because they aren’t shown very much on television or in movies… In terms of organizing models, A League of Their Own is a great model which brings a group of people together and finding their strengths to pull together a team. 
GL: What the one truth your parents taught you about sex/love/relationships.
Beth: The biggest truth that my parents both told me and showed me is the most important part of relationships or marriage is being best friends with your partner.
GL: When solicitors come to your door do you answer or pretend not to be home?
Beth: I generally greet them and probably give them more information than they give me.
GL: What is your astrological sign and how does that affect your organizing?

Beth: I’m a Scorpio and I think it makes me passionate, fiery and someone who will not take no for an answer.