Hello? Is There Anybody Out There?

By Sarah Towle, Esperanza Project

With the coronavirus pandemic stalking the asylum seekers waiting nervously in camps and shelters all along the border and in the overcrowded jail cells of the US justice system, inspiration from the border is very hard to come by these days. Thanks to the Angry Tías and Abuelas for shining a light in the darkness, and to London journalist Sarah Towle for sharing their story, and other tales of humanity and heroism from her 2,000-mile journey along the US-Mexico Border.

Ten Years After Howard Zinn’s Death — Lessons from the People’s Historian

By Bill Bigelow, Common Dreams

It’s always worth dipping into the vast archive of Zinn scholarship, but as the United States flirts with another war in the Middle East, as the presidential campaign raises fundamental questions about the kind of country we will become, and as the world confronts a potentially catastrophic environmental crisis, now is an especially good time to remember some of Howard Zinn’s wisdom.

Love in Action: a Force for Social Justice

By Sophia Parker, Medium.com

During those nine months we changed our name from ‘Tooting Baby Bank’ to Little Village. This was a very important change. It underlined the fact that as well as redistibuting pre-loved kit to families in need, we also had some serious intentions to build community.

Lyla June on The Truth of Thanksgiving

By Tracy L. Barnett, Esperanza Project

I am here at the Plimoth Plantation colony where the separatists, as we now call them Pilgrims, first made their landing, and where they set up their settlement. And so we’re here today and we’re wanting to talk about the truth of Thanksgiving because we believe that truth is what’s going to set this country free. It’s really hard to look at the truth of this country, but I want to invite you to be brave right now.

Why Social Mobility is a Lousy Idea

By Hadas Weiss, Open Democracy

Jeremy Corbyn’s announcement last month that a Labour government would replace social mobility with social justice as a policy benchmark raised more than a few eyebrows. It goes against received wisdom and bipartisan consensus that social mobility is a good thing.

No, Climate Action Can’t be Separated from Social Justice

By Julian Brave NoiseCat, The Guardian blog

If you set aside Republicans’ obsession with cow farts, perhaps the most prevalent criticism of the Green New Deal is its emphasis on social justice. Critics contend that the far-reaching climate agenda is far too concerned with extraneous issues such as jobs, infrastructure, housing, healthcare and civil and indigenous rights.

Why Climate Action is the Antithesis of White Supremacy

By Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian blog

Behind the urgency of climate action is the understanding that everything is connected; behind white supremacy is an ideology of separation.

Social and Environmental Justice

By Rich Pancost, TheBristolMayor.com

But if climate action is a question of social justice, then those marginalised groups must be part of the movement.  They must set the agenda of that movement. 

Community Organising: Back to its Roots

By Stephanie Gamauf, STIR

This article calls for ‘community’ to be led back to its origins and to defend the values that social justice organisers have fought for throughout history.

The Lessons of the Great Beaufort Skedaddle

By Karen Lynn Allen, Musings

On the 157th anniversary of the Great Beaufort Skedaddle, it's worth remembering that sometimes doubling down on one's way of life brings about catastrophe from which there is no recovery.

The American Civil War didn’t End. And Trump is a Confederate President

By Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian blog

In the 158th year of the American civil war, also known as 2018, the Confederacy continues its recent resurgence. Its victims include black people, of course, but also immigrants, Jews, Muslims, Latinos, trans people, gay people and women who want to exercise jurisdiction over their bodies.

The Case for Reparations

By Jason Hickel, Jason Hickel blog

Even if we accept that useful things were shared during colonialism – universities, for instance – that is not the same as saying they were a benefit of colonization. Colonialism is not a necessary vector for the transfer of knowledge or technology.