Philadelphia-born Seminarian Celebrates Humanity as Olympic Torchbearer.

Sports, Religion, Human Interest Editors

PHILADELPHIA & NEW YORK--(BW SportsWire)--Dec. 21, 2001

On Saturday, December 22, shortly after 4:00 pm, seminarian and workers' rights activist Leslie Kretzu will be one of the native Philadelphians whose accomplishments have earned them the honor of carrying the Olympic flame through the streets of their hometown.

"Given Leslie's accomplishments and her commitment to economic justice, it is no surprise that she was chosen to carry the Olympic flame," said Joseph C. Hough, Jr., president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where Kretzu is a first-year seminarian pursuing a Master of Arts degree, with a concentration in Social Ethics. "In just one semester at Union, she has emerged as a real leader in our community. She stands in the proud legacy of Union's students and alumni/ae who see as part of their ministries an advocacy for workers' rights and economic justice and who continually remind us all of our commitments and opportunities to witness and participate in emerging movements."

In line with the International Olympic Committee's theme, "Celebrate Humanity," Kretzu intends her participation to represent the millions of unrecognized persons around the globe who produce the uniforms and athletic equipment that allow women and men to compete in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Her segment of the relay will end at Broad and Federal Streets in South Philadelphia, where she will be available for comment.

Kretzu is co-director and founder of a non-profit organization called "Educating for Justice," which is rocking the boat among young people around the country by raising awareness of the grim living and working conditions of factory workers in Indonesia who produce the brandname sportswear so popular here.

"The Olympic flame is a great symbol of cleansing hostilities and setting the stage for a world at peace. I feel honored to represent Philadelphia and can't think of a more appropriate place than Broad Street in South Philly," said the 27-year-old Olympic torchbearer, who grew up in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Roxborough and received her Bachelor of Science degree from St. Joseph's University in 1996.

In August 2000, Kretzu, who had previously volunteered with Mother Teresa's sisters in India and Nepal, lived for a month on the wages of a factory worker in Tangerang, Indonesia documenting the living and working conditions for people producing goods for U.S. corporations. That was the beginning of "Educating for Justice." Since then, she and co-director, Jim Keady, a former soccer pro, have traveled to high schools, church groups, and more than 80 universities across the country with a multi-media presentation demonstrating the lived reality that 95 percent of our clothing and shoes are made under conditions that qualify as sweatshop labor.

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, founded in 1836, is an independent, ecumenical graduate school of theology with the mission to educate men and women for ministries in the Christian faith, service in contemporary society, and study of the great issues of our time. The Seminary believes that the city remains a critical training ground for facing such issues.