CLEA candlelight vigil lights the way
by Elizabeth Krasner
Extempore - Brattleboro Union High School Student Newspaper - Vol. 7, No. 3

Forty students gathered in front of the Wells Fountain in Brattleboro in 20-degree weather on Friday, Dec. 15, to carry out what has become a Brattleboro Union High School tradition.

Holding signs and candles, members of Child Labor Education and Action (CLEA) protested child labor. The candlelight vigil has always had marked support, but this year surpassed all expectations. Many waved or beeped their horns, and while CLEA had hoped for a turnout of twenty students, more than forty came, according to Laura Freeman, a CLEA member and organizer.

The candlelight vigil is not as direct an action as building a school in Guatemala, which CLEA is working to accomplish (story about the trip in the next issue).

The vigil falls in the middle of a busy shopping season for a reason, however. It was intended to remind the Brattleboro community to shop responsibly. The vigil also sends a message to the Brattleboro community that there are students who care about this issue.