AMERICAN ROOTS
American Roots is a local Portland clothing company that makes Polartec fleeces from all-American made materials. Their mission is to “create good jobs in the United States, deliver a quality product, have a commitment to our community, our workers and our country, and to support a better more sustainable way of life.”
While seeking a workforce, the owners Ben and Whitney Reynolds partnered with Capital for Opportunity and Change, Goodwill, and Portland Adult Education to offer a training course for stitchers. The vast majority of people who responded to the ad and took the course were new Americans, originally from countries such as Iraq, Egypt, and Congo Brazzaville. For a school project, I set out to tell the story of American Roots and its unique body of workers.
Hasen
Mohammed
Hanya
Sozan
Nahla
Anaam
Zita
Ragad
Monica
Debora
Manuela
Maria
Ethiopia, 1+ years at AR
Angola, 1+ years at AR
Angola, Intern at AR
Iraq, 2 months at AR
Iraq, 5 months at AR
Egypt, 2+ years at AR
Iraq, 2+ years at AR
Iraq, 3 years at AR
Angola, 5 months at AR
Congo Brazzaville, 5 months at AR
Iraq, 1+ years at AR
Angola, 5 months at AR
American Roots is a beacon for the rest of the Portland business community. When I visited their warehouse, I was amazed with the ease with which the operations ran, and with the close-knit community that Ben and Whitney built for their employees. At American Roots, it doesn't matter where you come from or who you are, if you are willing to work and work hard, the door is open for you. As Ben says, “This is a 100 percent American company, we opened the door to anyone who wanted to work, and the first people to walk in were people who just walked into this country, so that’s about as American as it gets." I hope to see the company thrive and grow in the future but still maintain its core values, and I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to document it.
