Social Justice Co-operative NL The Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador works to address issues of social, economic, and political inequality at home and abroad. Read About Us Home: Welcome Community Update on Theft in SJCNL **Jan 2026 Update - Fraud Report Available To Read Here** Download Fraud Report Board Response Fund The Revolution! Independent donors like you allow us an uncompromising political voice! We have accomplished a lot over the past couple of years but we need financial resources to bring about a Revolution of Care. The Social Justice Co-operative does not take money from corporations or governments for our activism and operations. To maintain our independence, we depend on grassroots funding from people like you. Please consider funding our work, be that as a one-time donation, or as a monthly donor, to help us keep momentum going by sponsoring our work. Donate

Free Palestine Action Team Jan 25, 2024 Statement in Solidarity with Palestine Free Palestine Action Team Read More

An archive of some social justice work in the SJC & broader community. Email us your submissions! Social Justice Spotlight Apr 10, 2024 Activist Film Collective to host Online Screening of Three Promises Available to anyone located in NL at the time of screening. Date to be announced. Film Synopsis: "While the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank in the early 2000s, a mother films her family's daily life, punctuated by time spent shielding her family from harm in the basement. Now, her son revisits this past, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents who are forced to choose between their children’s physical safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home." Read More Apr 10, 2024 Black Mutual Aid Gala Raises $5300! Sending Heartfelt Thanks to All! This remarkable achievement underscores the power of collective support and solidarity in driving positive change. Your generosity will enable us to implement vital service and project-based initiatives that uplift and empower our community. Mutual aid is more than just charity; it's a powerful expression of solidarity and collective care. Studies show that mutual aid initiatives strengthen communities, foster resilience, and promote equity. With your support, we are building a brighter future rooted in solidarity and compassion. Read More Apr 9, 2024 Tent City for Change Demands Housing for All Tent City for Change sends out our heartfelt gratitude to the greater community who has continued to support Resident Protestors. As we continue to push our elected representatives to do better, TC4C will remain a steadfast site of protest and resistance to privatized shelters, exploitative slum lords, and the denial of housing as a human right. Read More Jan 25, 2024 Statement in Solidarity with Palestine The SJCNL Free Palestine Action Team recognizes that Canada and Israel are both settler colonial states built on stolen land. The struggle for social justice is not bounded by national borders; as we fight to dismantle colonialism in so-called Canada, we must also stand against colonialism abroad. In alignment with our principles of revolutionary care, we are committed to uplifting the voices of those most marginalized and we recognize that there is no justice or liberation without collective liberation. We organize in solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose struggle under a settler colonial system of domination has been ignored for too long. Read More Jan 11, 2024 Free Palestine Rallies Every Saturday at 2pm NT at Harbourside Park in St. John's until a Ceasefire! Condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli state and send a message loud and clear to local politicians that we demand they call for a ceasefire now! You can sign up for the Palestine Solidarity NL Listserv here: https://palestineactionyyt.beehiiv.com/subscribe Read More Dec 17, 2023 Three Promises: Palestinian Film Screening Presenting, Three Promises by Yousef Srouji, in St. John's. Synopsis: While the Israeli army retaliates against the Second Intifada in the West Bank in the early 2000s, a mother films her family's daily life, punctuated by time spent shielding her family from harm in the basement. Now, her son revisits this past, delivering a heart-breaking portrait of the anguish of parents who are forced to choose between their children’s physical safety and the emotional upheaval of leaving home." Read More Oct 15, 2023 Running Down the Walls Fundraiser Thank you to everyone who came out to support Prison Justice and Abolition and to all who donated! We sent $298 to the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) Warchest Program that supports political prisoners and prisoners of war in the US. You can find more about their work here: https://www.abcf.net/warchest-program/ We also raised $50 for our own NL-Based Prison Pen Pal Project to provide stamps and letters to volunteers and incarcerated people. You can learn more about that work here: https://www.sjcnl.ca/pen-pals Read More Sep 24, 2023 Migrant Justice: Status for All Email Campaign The SJC supports the Status for All campaign whole-heartedly. We believe in a world without borders and are imagining and working toward a Revolution of Care, a future that puts care at the core of social organization, instead of profit. We dream of a future where the destruction of thriving ecosystems for profit is brought to an end, where everyone's needs are met, and everyone's dignity is respected, everyone's value is celebrated. Where colonial, capitalist governments no longer decide who is worthy of rights, services, or protections. We know this future is possible and is coming because people, particularly Indigenous, Black, Brown, Queer, Trans, Poor, Disabled, and Migrant feminists & abolitionist dreamers, organizers, and activists have been fighting and working for generations to bring it into being. Read More Sep 22, 2023 Project Nujio'qonik It's Muskrat Falls All Over Again. Members of the SJC and Council of Canadians Avalon Chapter gather at Impact Assessment Office in St. John's in solidarity with the Environmental Transparency Committees Demand for A Federal Impact Assessment. Protestors chant, "We're here to fight for the future we need, the elites won't save us from their own greed" Read More Jul 1, 2022 Land Back Fest with the Indigenous Activist Collective A different way to spend July 1 in St. John's. Land Back Fest is a community gathering and feast with the Indigenous Activist Collective in Bannerman Park on July 1 to celebrate Land Back Movements and Indigenous Peoples. Why celebrate colonial genocide when we can come together to celebrate and demand the return of Indigenous lands to Indigenous hands!? Read More May 1, 2022 Marking May Day with the Worker Action Network "The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too" - Rose Schneiderman (1882 - 1972) Workers deserve fair and equitable working conditions, but they also deserve joy, art, and beauty. On May Day, 2022 we gathered with the Worker Action Network at Bannerman Park for a celebration of workers rights. Read More Mar 8, 2021 A Feminist Recovery Means Full & Permanent Immigration Status for All SJC Supports Migrant Rights Network's Call for Full & Permanent Immigration #StatusForAll as Part of a #FeministRecovery from Covid 19. Sign the call here: https://migrantrights.ca/take-action/permanent-resident-status/ Read More Mar 6, 2021 Sex Worker Solidarity Expressing solidarity with sex workers & sex worker rights on #InternationalSexWorkerRightsDay Sex work is work and needs to be decriminalized! Thank you to SHOP for inviting us to participate in #StoriesOfSexWorkerSolidarity Read More Dec 1, 2020 End Mega-Damage The SJC signed the North American Mega Dam Resistance Alliance's Call to Protect Mistashipu, the Grand River. Add your voice to STOP GULL ISLAND by signing the petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JgHBcjkEtvwVH_x8lPsZQBg-jgoeX-EttOghs5rLGqI Read More Aug 1, 2020 Build Safer Communities SJC supports Abolition Coalition and allies call to Divest from Prisons and Policing. Show your support, and join us in signing the declaration! https://www.choosingrealsafety.com/ Read More Feb 27, 2020 In Solidarity with the Sovereign Wet'suwet'en Nation The Social Justice Cooperative declares our complete and unconditional solidarity with the people of the sovereign Wet’suwet’en nation in their ongoing resistance to Canadian colonialism, as well as with all those who have taken action in support of the Wet’suwet’en nation following invasion by the RCMP. Activists build a pipeline through O'Regan's office! Read More

Marking May Day with the Worker Action Network May 1, 2022 🌹 May Day Party 🌹 "The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too" - Rose Schneiderman (1882 - 1972) Workers deserve fair and equitable working conditions, but they also deserve joy, art, and beauty. On May Day, 2022 we gathered with the Worker Action Network at Bannerman Park for a celebration of workers rights. Check out the Rose Photo Project we did in partnership with Tania Heath of Project Power Back. All photos by Tania. View photos here: https://www.sjcnl.ca/may-day-party Previous Next

Statement in Solidarity with Palestine Jan 25, 2024 Written by the Free Palestine Action Team The Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador (SJCNL) Free Palestine Action Team recognizes that Canada and Israel are both settler colonial states built on stolen land. The struggle for social justice is not bounded by national borders; as we fight to dismantle colonialism in so-called Canada, we must also stand against colonialism abroad. In alignment with our principles of revolutionary care, we are committed to uplifting the voices of those most marginalized and we recognize that there is no justice or liberation without collective liberation. We organize in solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose struggle under a settler colonial system of domination has been ignored for too long. The Palestinian Territories—the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip—have been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel imposes different legal, economic and security regimes on the people under its control based on their ethnicity, religion and place of residence. This system can only be described as Apartheid. Palestinians are denied many basic rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of movement and the right to vote. The ‘Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ is not a conflict between two equal nation-states. Only one side has an army, an air force, and a nuclear arsenal. Only one side has self-determination, sovereignty, and international recognition. Only one side has the unconditional support of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. To remain neutral in light of this asymmetry would be to uphold an unjust and unequal status quo. The Gaza Strip is a walled off piece of land smaller than the City of St. John’s but with more than 20 times the population. The majority of the 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza are UN-registered refugees, the descendants of people who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel when that country was founded in 1948. Since 2005, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade, destroying the territory’s economy. People and goods cannot enter or leave Gaza without specific permission from Israel. The unemployment rate is over 40%, and the majority of residents rely on humanitarian aid. As our members have called out in the past , Gaza is essentially an open-air prison. Israeli attacks on Gaza killed more than 5,000 Palestinians between 2005 and 2022; over the same period, Palestinian militants from Gaza killed some 180 Israelis. On October 7th 2023, Palestinian militants attacked Israeli communities and military bases near the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 200. In response, Israel’s bombing campaign has since killed over 25,000 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have indiscriminately struck homes, apartment buildings, mosques, churches, hospitals, schools, and bakeries. Israel has also imposed a severe blockade, preventing most food, water, and medicine from entering Gaza. The humanitarian situation inside the Gaza Strip is growing more desperate by the day as people run out of the basic necessities of life. One atrocity cannot be made right by committing another; Israel’s "war" on Gaza will only perpetuate a cycle of violence whose root causes remain unaddressed. True peace can only be achieved when there is justice, equality, dignity, and freedom for all people living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, regardless of ethnicity or religion. The longer the bombing, siege and occupation of Gaza continue, the farther away this prospect becomes. The current Israeli government is the most extreme in the country’s history. Israeli political leaders and military commanders have made repeated statements advocating for the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. These statements along with the indiscriminate violence unleashed on Gaza form the basis of the South African case against Israel, under the Genocide Convention, that is currently before the International Court of Justice. We welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s belated call for a “sustainable ceasefire”, but that is not sufficient. In spite of everything that has happened over the past 110 days, Canada remains a staunch ally of Israel, making all of us complicit in Israeli actions. The Government of Canada must end this complicity once and for all. We call on the Members of Parliament for Newfoundland and Labrador to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a lifting of the blockade on Gaza, a two-way arms embargo on Israel, and an end to the occupation and colonization of Palestinian land: Ken McDonald (Avalon), Churence Rogers (Bonavista-Burin-Trinity), Clifford Small (Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame), Yvonne Jones (Labrador), Gudie Hutchings (Long Range Mountains), Joanne Thompson (St. John’s East), and Seamus O’Regan (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl). The world is watching, and failure to act now will not be forgotten. Free Palestine Action Team Social Justice Co-op of Newfoundland and Labrador In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, we wish to acknowledge that our website is hosted by Wix.com Ltd., a company we have since learned is headquartered in Israel. In solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, we are currently pursuing alternative webhosting options. Previous Next

Land Back Fest Community gathered with the Indigenous Activist Collective in Bannerman Park on July 1 to celebrate Land Back Movements and Indigenous Peoples. Thank you to everyone who joined! Why celebrate colonial genocide when we can come together to celebrate and demand the return of Indigenous lands to Indigenous hands!? Have a look at these beautiful people and learn what inspired them to show up. <3 Just click on the photos to enlarge them. read captions, and image descriptions.

Our Roots Our Roots: Welcome The climate crisis is here. Every day animals go extinct, more land is flooded or becomes too dry to grow crops, storms grow bigger, wildfires become stronger, and the ice caps are melting under our feet. The problem feels insurmountable but humans created this problem—and it’s up to us to fix it. The Social Justice Co-operative NL formed in 2013 to continue the 50+ year tradition of speaking out for social justice, connecting the local with the global, and working with like-minded agencies for common social change goals. Oxfam Canada set up a regional office in St. John’s in 1964 at the instigation of a group of local activists and with staff members dedicated to build support and connections between projects in developing countries and our own communities. Oxfam Canada focused on the needs and concerns of communities in the developing world. Increasingly this was challenged by NL people and communities demanding that Oxfam recognise the links between the struggles of communities in NL and in the so-called “developing world”. Spurred by questions and demands from the local grassroots, the local Oxfam office on Duckworth Street became the hub of activism and progressive thinking. The crucial ingredients of success were dynamic and well informed staff, strong support from the national office and an activist community in support. Faced with funding cuts and a Conservative government, Oxfam Canada closed down most of its regional offices and ceased their focus on the connections between local and global issues. The activist group in St. John’s argued vociferously against this change , while also pointing out that the building on Duckworth St had been bought and maintained by the community and should remain a community resource. The Social Justice Cooperative of NL was formed to take over the building and to continue what we saw as the most important work of Oxfam in NL - its focus on the urgent need for social justice for everyone and on the connections between local and global. The particular form of the SJC came about because of the Harper era strictures and limitations on the political work of “charities”. While it makes us somewhat of an “oddball” in the context of the formal structures of the Federation of Cooperatives, our membership in the Federation helps us to think seriously about what “cooperation” means in terms of equality and justice for everyone. Since 2019, the SJC has been leading a campaign to address the climate crisis in Newfoundland and Labrador by connecting with activists and organizing a wide range of actions with a vision of anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and international worker solidarity. In the past few years, we have done important groundwork to build a movement in our province around social and environmental justice by building strong and respectful partnerships with allied organizations, and creating space for new people to get involved and champion causes. By organizing around a broad issue like climate change, we have integrated many related issues into a cohesive vision for how to transform our province into a more environmentally and socially just place. A key aspect of our strategy is to let members lead our work and use our staff to support them. This has created space for volunteers to pursue their passions and take initiative organizing events or action teams. We are always looking for more people to get involved and if you would like to learn more about our work, please reach out at socialjusticecoopnl@gmail.com . To strengthen our base and independence from government, we are also seeking individuals to donate to support our work. Please consider becoming a financial ally and supporting our Resources for Revolution campaign here . Our Roots: Text The climate crisis is not an easy problem and will need a multi-pronged solution to fix, but as this pandemic has shown, we can do hard things. By working together, we can overcome anything. Our Roots: Text

Event Organizing Kit Want to organize an event but not sure where to start? Missing some supplies? Check out our organizing guide! Get in touch with lea@sjcnl.org with questions or for help. Open Event Kit

Community Partners Anti-Racism Coalition The Anti-Racism Coalition of Newfoundland and Labrador (ARC-NL) actively works to counter all forms of racism. The main objective of the ARC-NL is to promote and support a culture of anti-racism within the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Learn More Fridays For Future St. John's The Youth Led Local Branch of Fridays For Future St. John’s, Newfoundland Grassroots movement #FridaysForFutureStJohns #ClimateJusticeIsSocialJustice Learn More Memorial University Climate Action Coalition The Coalition is a collection of students, faculty, staff, and community members with the shared interest of pursuing climate action at Memorial University Learn More

Climate Petition Challenge Petition to Declare Provincial Climate Emergency Join us and demand that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador declare a climate emergency. How does it work? 1. Download the petition package below 2. Fill in your name and information. Know others who want to sign? Get their information too! 3. Return your completed package to the Social Justice Co-Op (details on the form) That's it! Quick and easy! Why do I have to download a form? In order for a petition to be presented in the House of Assembly, it has to be on paper. But don't worry! You collect the signatures and send us the forms, we do everything else, including cover the postage fees (contact us for details). Download the form and show your support today. Every signature counts! Print & Sign The Petition Climate Petition Challenge: Who We Are Right to Left: Lela Evans (PC), SJC member Rosie Myers, and Jim Dinn (NDP) posed for a selfie after Rosie delivered the petition to Confederation Building. What have we done so far? Taking the first steps towards progress In 2019, a team of SJC members put together this petition and set out into their communities. Over the course of a few months they collected over 2,000 signatures from citizens demanding the province declare a climate emergency Unfortunately, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that signature collection had to stop. The petition was put on hold until it was safe to venture out again. In June, 2021, the Coalition for a Green New Deal NL and DecarbonizeNL teamed up and breathed new life into the project. They contacted all the seated parties and four MHAs - Lela Evans (PC), Jim Dinn (NDP), Jordan Brown (NDP), and Paul Lane (IND)- agreed to present the petition to the floor. From June 16th to the end of session, our petition was presented every day! Our Labrador MHAs spoke to witnessing climate change firsthand, and all demanded the province take action. We are now collecting signatures again, with the intention of presenting a second batch of petitions in October when the House resumes. This is where we need you! Download the form and get out into your communities. Stay safe, collect signatures, and get us the support we need so we can demand the government take the climate crisis into account with every deicion they make. We can do this! 2073 SIGNATURES COLLECTED, AND COUNTING! Sign the petition to declare a climate emergency! Join the Climate Petition Challenge Climate Petition Challenge: Quote Climate Emergency Declaration: Petition to the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador We, the undersigned residents of the Province of NL, bring the attention of the House of Assembly to the following: THAT, WHEREAS: According to the document “The Way Forward on Climate Change” the province is already experiencing the effects of climate change; NL joined the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change in 2016, but is not on track to meet its 2020 targets; Financial costs resulting from climate change will unequally impact municipalities due to responsibilities set out in the “Municipalities Act 1999” THEREFORE, your petitioners call upon the House of Assembly to urge the government to: Declare a CLIMATE EMERGENCY Establish a task force on decreasing the effects of the climate crisis while building community resilience Consider climate in all policy & decision making Download, print and sign the climate petition now! Climate Petition Challenge: Who We Are Climate Petition Challenge: Get Involved

Our Vision: Text Revolution of Care Manifesto The struggle against patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, imperialism, climate change, and our corrupt economic system can feel overwhelming. It’s not a struggle we can take on alone. That’s why the Social Justice Co-operative is building a grassroots movement centred on creating caring communities and fostering friendships between activists based on caring for each other. We believe in the dignity and value of every human being. We call this movement a “Revolution of Care” because revolutionary care is the antidote to capitalism, and it is capitalism that has made our society sick. Where capitalism relies on greed to function, the antidote must be generosity. Where capitalism relies on individualism, the antidote must be community. By capitalism, we mean the global intersecting systems of oppression that impoverish billions to make a handful of people rich, the systems that co-opt democracy to protect the rich, and the systems that make all of us complicit in the destructive exploitation of our land, water, and communities in the service of profits for the rich. Our affluence in Canada is built off of poverty here and elsewhere. We do not live in isolation. Our local choices affect lives internationally. All beings on earth, human and non-human are linked in a web of relation. Click here to read our Strategic Compass for 2021 Our Vision: Text Care, like capitalism, can be applied as a way of life, as a system to uphold rule in society and our communities, and as a guideline by which all decisions are made. Capitalism encourages taking advantage of every situation for personal gain, focusing our attention inward, and creating a competition out of life itself. Revolutionary care encourages the exact opposite: to seek to provide for the needs of all those around us, in every situation, creating a sense of community and belonging. Revolutionary care uses empathy as a means of knowledge and understanding; this knowledge is the basis for all decisions, with the ultimate goal of meeting the needs of all. Where capitalism applies value to how much an individual can take, the revolution of care calls for our values to be shifted based on how much care one gives back to their community and each other. Where individual wealth is multiplied by the greed of capitalism, collective wealth is multiplied under the revolution where care is placed as the centre. Revolutionary care, when applied on a larger scale, has the potential to collapse hierarchies by giving consideration and a voice to all. It prevents the elevation of the few above the many by illuminating our world with the views and emotions of those around us, creating empathy, and, ultimately, generosity. It elevates the importance of the community as a whole creating a sense of belonging and trust. It decentralizes decision making by creating fluid governance based on current needs and giving space to all who wish to participate. Revolutionary care has the potential to crumble capitalism by creating communities that care for their people rather than their profits. The SJC intends to grow this movement, and spread the Revolution of Care as a way of organizing, a way of decision making, and as a way of life. Our Vision: Text A “Revolution of Care” means reclaiming care, by building a movement centered on compassion and kindness that gives space to heal, learn, and grow. By strengthening relationships and ensuring that everyone feels welcome, we are connecting community members and shaping our own system, one that can end the exploitation of people and the destruction of thriving ecosystems for profit and build communities where everyone feels loved and respected. Therefore, the Social Justice Co-operative commits to the following principles of revolutionary care: - ensure anti-racist decolonization; -- anti-racist decolonization, at its very core, is a care building movement based on Indigenous feminism which includes radical love and acceptance. Indigenous feminism places care at the centre of decision making and ensures that all community members have their physical, spiritual and emotional needs met; - radical inclusivity: everyone is given an equal opportunity to join our movement by addressing barriers; creating welcoming environments, especially for members of traditionally marginalized and neglected groups; -- a revolution of care requires us to have patience for all people as they learn and make mistakes; -- recognize that we have all been socialized in inherently racist, classist, sexist, cis-heteronormative and ableist systems and that it takes time and patience to understand and unpack this socialization; - all voices are heard, marginalized and most impacted voices are amplified, and all experiences are valued and considered; - a collaborative, cooperative, consensus-based, decentralized approach to decision-making; - intentional relationship and community building, recognizing the need for social spaces in addition to organizing spaces; - promotion of worker-owned co-operatives, a strong union movement, and international worker solidarity; - intentional care for all of humanity, our environment, and the other species with whom we share the earth by resisting wasteful, hazardous, and unsustainable patterns of consumption and destruction; - intersectional approach to a just transition from an extraction economy to a society that cares for the land and for each other. Our Vision: Text The Revolution of Care is a journey and as we grow and learn, we continue to reflect on how we can better serve the movement. Hence, this is a living manifesto, to be built and expanded on as our revolution grows. Our Vision: Text

We Are The Movement Learn more about the people who make up the SJC Sarah Sauve (she/her) Where does Sarah call home? Sarah was born in Hull, Quebéc, which is now Gatineau, but as a teen moved to Nova Scotia, then Newfoundland and Labrador, completed grad school in London, England, and has since found her way back to YYT. When asked about her origins, Sarah contemplated, “I think of myself as a bit of a nomad – I really enjoy travel, moving around, and I haven’t stayed in one place for more than a few years in my adult life. Thinking about staying in one place for longer than a few years still kind of makes me uncomfortable (though less than before). I feel like there’s so much I’ll miss out on if I stay in one place.” It is SJC that has given Sarah a sense of belonging here. She considers Newfoundland & Labrador her home “and it’s because of the Co-op” she states. “I feel like I’ve found a community with which I can put down roots.” Sarah’s Life Experiences all Led her Toward Social Justice Work Sarah’s path to social justice started around age 16 when she attended the CISV Canada National Camp, an organization promoting cultural understanding and global leadership. A ten-year commitment to the organization honed Sarah’s ability to organize events on a local, national and international level. The ethos of CISV is to promote self-reflection, communication and the knowledge that people can truly affect change. Sarah recalls her experience of working with youth in China through her work with CISV. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme, with its focus on physical fitness, skill, service, and adventurous journeys also cultivated leadership and determination in Sarah; she impressively completed gold, which is not an easy task! Through her multitude of experiences, Sarah ended up completing Grad school in the UK and even sailed partway around the world. All of these life experiences, coupled with her recent membership in the anti-capitalist x activist book club, have influenced Sarah to engage in social justice with great commitment. Sarah reflects, “[The book club] has been instrumental in fundamentally challenging and changing my worldview and, I think, made me a better activist because of my increased understanding of structural issues like capitalism, the prison industrial complex, border imperialism and settler colonialism to name a few, and how they interact.” All Roads Lead to SJCNL Sarah: “It was kind of a no-brainer for me. When I first moved back to NL, I had decided that from then on, I would focus more on myself instead of giving so much of my time to activism – things like Argentinian tango and friendships new and old. Over time, however, I couldn’t keep not doing anything about the global problems I kept coming up against. When a friend brought me to a Green New Drinks event, I knew I’d found my people here. ”Let’s Talk Core Beliefs Sarah: “I identify as a feminist, anti-capitalist, abolitionist, anarchist, white, cis-gendered, highly educated, middle-class, neuro-typical woman. I essentially identify my sources of social privilege, which help frame where I’m coming from.“ Sarah Explains the Facets of her Ideology: Feminism to me means equity between all genders. I’ve also read feminist critique of scientific research which is much more widespread as a politic than just equal access to opportunity, but I haven’t looked into it enough to articulate that particular politic properly. Feminist science is a whole scientific epistemology. Anti-capitalism is taking action against capitalism. Though none of us can really live outside of it, we can do many small things in our everyday life to chip away at it (like reading radical literature, discussing and dreaming different futures with friends, refusing plastic wherever I can, refusing to buy what isn’t necessary). Abolition is about removing prisons, policing and surveillance from our society and in its place, building communities based on care where everyone’s needs are met. It sounds like a utopia, but it really needn’t be. We’ve been tricked into believing that hardship and violence are necessary to a functioning society but we don’t need those things to be happy and safe. Abolition is about building a new future just as much as it is about taking down the prison industrial complex. Alternatives to cops and prisons will be different for each community based on its needs and there will be mistakes made, but we need to try hundreds of different experiments and just do it until we get there. Those are all lessons learned from Mariame Kaba’s We Do This ‘Til We Free Us. Anarchy to me doesn’t mean fire, violence and chaos, as I’ve seen it portrayed in the media my whole life. It means community-based leadership and deep democracy, where we all have a say in what affects us. It’s decentralization and a focus on the local context. Interested in Joining SJC? Sarah feels that “feminism, anti-capitalism, abolition and anarchy are closely related politics and work together to combat systems of oppression and also build a better world. If this sounds at all appealing to you, check out the SJC’s Revolution of Care manifesto. ”Though joining was a no-brainer for Sarah, she recalls, “it took me a while to get used to the SJC’s structure; To understand the difference between the Co-op, the Coalitions, the board and membership. It took me a whole year after being involved to actually become a member; this is even though I’d been working with teams already. Once I got used to the decentralized organizational structure, I started to feel more comfortable and knew that this is where I can build community. This is where I can really both make a difference and put down roots.” What Makes this Work Worth it Despite the Challenges? Sarah: “The relationships I’ve built through my social justice work have been everything. I think it’s because being involved in leadership and social justice work has allowed me to be myself unapologetically, and I’m very open to new people. I’m happy to share all of myself, and I try to be as open and non-judgemental as I can and accept all of someone else. ”Are There Wins? “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the small wins we achieve through our work. An event, protest, march, or campaign might not have the desired effect on the seats of power that we want to influence immediately, but if we’ve brought one more person on board to the Revolution, it’s a win. In Mariame Kaba's book, she states that our ‘losses’ aren’t really losses because we are learning things and building momentum through our organization all the time.” How Does this Fit into the Big Picture? One day, we’ll achieve the big changes we want to see, but we have to keep working at it. ‘Do it with others –nothing worth doing is done alone’” (Mariama Kaba). In addition to reading Mariama Kaba’s We Do This ‘Til We Free Us, Sarah highly recommends that we all read Pollution is Colonialism by Max Liboiron. Anne Malone (she/her) Q: Where do you call home? A: I call St. John's, NL home. I have spent a lot of time in Costa Rica but have never had residency there. I love Costa Rica because the country is so environmentally focused and they have a very socialized approach to education and health care. The University of Peace is there and they are in general an incredibly progressive county. Q: Tell us about how your background and life experiences have led you toward social justice work. A: I was always drawn to social justice issues but had never aligned myself with a specific organization. I was part of Project Ploughshares, which formed in the 1970’s and is a group who worked with governments, and civil society, in Canada and abroad, to advance policies and actions to prevent war and armed violence and build peace. For me I connected with them when world peace was an idea in the 1980’s anti-nuclear movement . Then I focused on child rearing and in 2008 I acquired a disability. My sight loss was something that I could not ignore and my status in the world had changed. Opportunities evaporated. I experienced chronic unemployment. That, coupled with all of the barriers, led me to advocate for an accessible urban environment. From there I moved my focus on pedestrian rights and I began to encounter barriers one by one. As my vision decreased, I understood intimately how moving through an urban environment with ease and safety was paramount. Then the next barrier that came with my vision loss was to print media. Through that experience, I learned two things: It was important to advocated for accessibility in our municipalities I realized that many people who have disabilities struggle with poverty because of under employment and lack of government support. They struggle with discriminatory bias and that is significant particularly for people who need assistive technology to read. Those technologies are not free, they are very expensive; for example, a screen reader costs over $2000.00. Having a disability affects everything in your life. It must be noted that people who have disabilities are often caught in a poverty loop. One of the most devastating aspects of sight loss is that barriers to print. We have advancements with computer technology, but for people with sensory disabilities, you need a technology which will enable you to actually access the technology such as the internet. You feel so isolated. Q: Why did you join the SJCNL? A: I joined the SJC when I was connected with Dr Elizabeth Yeoman. In 2012 she was working on a short documentary called ‘Honk If You Want Me Off The Road' which was about the difficulties pedestrians encountered in St. John’s in the winter. And around that time a group emerged at the SJC, called Challenge Car culture, which was advocating for year-round sidewalk accessibility in St. Johns. It was through Elizabeth that I became aware of and joined the SJC. Q: What are your core beliefs and how do they influence how you participate in the SJCNL? A: My core belief is that we live in a world of abundance with very poorly distributed resources. Therefore, my heart always goes to support people who are living with a burden of poverty and the kind of inaccessible connection between poverty, race poverty, gender poverty and disabilities. I began to understand that these things are not coincidences but rather the result of systems and institutions that were constructed to elevate certain groups of people while oppressing other groups of people. I believe that to be morally wrong in every way. Q: What was the moment you realized joining the SJCNL was a good move for you? A: I realized that, I think it was in Dec of 2020, on International Day for Persons with Disabilities, when a large crowd of disabled and non-disabled people gathered on the steps of City Hall and demanded that the city revise a budget that would have reduced public transit in the city… and they met our demand. It worked! It made me and every other disabled person in that gathering feel seen and feel heard. I also realized that as a minority, we tend to think that the people who we have to win over are people in positions of power, but what I learned was, it is far more important to win the solidarity of the voter, not the politician. Because the voter will determine who holds those positions of power. It was pouring rain that evening and watching the Go Buses pull up and the wheelchairs roll out was incredible. It was dark outside, but the steps of City Hall were illuminated with lights from the media . I was gobsmacked. People were telling their personal stories in front of a mic and a camera. This was really happening! I was crying! Had it not been for SJC it would not have happened. Q: Is there anything that we have not asked that you would like to tell us about? A: Next steps in disability awareness could be the acknowledgement of Disability Pride month, which is in July of every year. I would like to see the month of July internationally. I would like to see our community elevated during disability pride month in particular. And I would like to see events that are accessible and public to increase the visibility and amplify the voices and experience of people who have disabilities in our province. Particularly for people who live on the intersections of race and disability and indigeneity in disability and poverty and disability. Q: What makes this work worth it despite the challenges? A: What makes it worth it , is that every step towards our goal is a step. Every statement that is made publicly by a person with a disability is another chink in the armour . Visibility matters, representations matters and being recognized as a member of a community matters. Q. Is there anything that you are reading, watching or listening to that you would recommend to people for SJC learning and sharing? A. I am reading two books right now. One book is called There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness by M. Leona Godin. It is a combination of memoir and the history and culture around blindness. It is written by a woman who experienced loss of her eyesight in her late 20s. It is on the New York Times Best Seller List. It gives so much insight into the invisible struggles of people who live with sight loss. We begin to understand why things are the way they are in the 21st Century, and we begin to understand how the bias that exists today comes from superstitions that formed during the Middle Ages. For example, the term ‘legally blind’ is a throwback to a time when people with disabilities had no other way to support themselves other than to literally beg for alms in public places. To earn the right to do that, people who had invisible disabilities, like blindness, had to appear before a magistrate and undergo certain tests that certified that the disability was valid. If they passed the test, they were declared to be legally entitled to charity and they were now ‘legally blind’. They would wear a licence on a string around their neck. So even though it is antiquated, this is a term that is still used by doctors, organizations and legalized forms. The other book is called Ain't I a Woman? by bell hooks. I got to know her name from my critical disability theory study group. It’s a study of black feminism. Her language is very conversational and very easy to digest. I am having one ‘Eureka!’ movement after another as I read this book. I am also very drawn to black women and women of colour, and I am so inspired and informed by their activism and their advocacy. We owe them a debt of gratitude in helping to inform us of activism in disability justice.