The world is changed when we all work together. But how do we do that? There are lot of different ways, with one thing in common. We need to organize. Social movements happen on different levels — local, regional, national and international. There are many differences between organizing campaigns which involve thousands than ones which reach the small local level. But there are a lot of commonalities too.
Today we take a look at the importance of social movements at the national, provincial and local level.
1.) Nora Loreto – rabble.ca blogger – On June 10th, Nora wrote a blog article with a headline “Social Organizing is Canada’s Only Hope”. For those of you who don’t know Nora, she’s a writer, musician and activist based in Québec City, and a long time rabble blogger. Some big picture thinking on why social movements are important.
2) Fighting cutbacks and austerity in Saskatchewan – an excerpt from Talking Radical Radio, host Scott Neigh spoke with JoAnn Jaffe and Peter Garden on his June 6 show. They’re fighting back against the massive wave of cuts to social programs and privatization initiated earlier by the Saskatchewan government. They belong to Stop the Cuts, a group working to mobilize against individual cuts and to help people come together into a broader movement to affect change. Scott talked to Joann and Peter what has been happening in Saskatchewan that is motivating people to stand up against the cuts.
3) Parkdale Renters Stike – Renters in high rises in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood have been saying “Enough is enough”. Despite fears that their landlord will evict them from their apartments, they have organized a rent strike, protesting against poor living conditions in the high rises, repairs that haven’t been done and a landlord who is trying to raise rents above the allowable provincially regulated maximum. A conversation with Cole Webber of Parkdale Community Legal Services, an organization which is helping the renters fight for change and navigate the tricky legal system.
(Note: We have a great video on rabble.ca posted on June 26th summarizing what the issues are. Check out Not Rex: Parkdale tenants strike for housing rights).
And while we’re talking about organizing —
Amplifying the work of individuals and organizations fighting for social justice is rabble’s founding mandate, and part of what makes us different from other media. 2017 promises to be a time of action and change: from the opportunities afforded with a potential NDP-led government and Green alliance in B.C., to Idle No More and Indigenous responses to the colonial legacy of Canada 150, and the challenges Trump policies pose to Canada — from net neutrality and online privacy to exposing the hypocrisy of the Trudeau government’s stance on refugees and on protecting the environment.
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Thanks to Braden Alexander and Sophia Reuss, the other members of the production team. If you want to become a member of the team too, send me an email at [email protected]. Victoria Fenner is executive producer of the rabble podcast network. rabble radio is a podcast of rabble.ca.
Image: Victoria Fenner
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