Tag: Activism

Four editors reflect on decades of editing Briarpatch: what they learned, the stories that challenged them, what’s changed, and what’s stayed the same.

Designing and building cohesive, disciplined, and transformative mass movements isn’t easy. This reading list is an offering to anyone committed to that effort.

At a recent city council meeting where Saskatoon approved millions more in funding for the Saskatoon Police Service, Erica Violet Lee was the only one who spoke against the increase. Rather than trying to convince those whose minds had already been made, she read a poem she had written in honour of Neil Stonechild, Kimberly Squirrel, and all the others whose lives have been stolen by colonial and carceral violence in Saskatoon.

As the logic of capitalism infiltrates our social movements, we must choose between being paid for our activism and building a strong culture of social struggle.

“Prison reform” is an empty promise from politicians and corrections departments who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

The Land Back issue’s National Magazine Award is a testament to the activists behind the Land Back movement, who have worked tirelessly to force the Canadian state and Canadian media to reckon with the literal and figurative foundations of this country.

A meeting to discuss a conversion therapy ban in Regina devolved into anti-trans rhetoric on April 14, with delegates misgendering trans youth and associating gender-affirming treatments with self-harm. Cat Haines, a transgender woman, educator, and academic writes an open letter in response

Without any city, provincial, or federal funding, Fougere’s plan to end homelessness has been an utter failure. What concrete steps can the city take to end homelessness?

The city walked back its 2018 motion to use 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050; but environmental sustainability has never been a more pressing local issue. Here’s how local activists are envisioning a truly renewable Regina.

For the past few years, the construction of the new Conexus and Brandt/CNIB buildings have been fiercely opposed by Regina residents who want no business in the park. How much power does the city have over the future of Wascana Centre?

From police brutality to accessibility to climate change – change starts at the local level. That’s why the Sask Dispatch put together a package of articles weighing in on the municipal election. So what’s at stake on November 9?

A new study from the University of Saskatchewan has found that the 2017 closure of STC has had wide-ranging impacts on everything from social connections to the functioning of the healthcare system itself.

The controversial reopening plan for Saskatchewan public schools has seen educators, students, and parents hit the streets in protests. Four of them shared their concerns about the Sask Party’s plans with Sask Dispatch.

How WE Charity helps cleanse white Canada of white guilt

As Indian Commissioner and lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan, Edgar Dewdney left a legacy of colonial violence and trauma on the Prairies. Now some have joined together in a campaign to remove his name from one of Regina’s busiest streets.

A Master Plan was put in place to ensure the integrity of Regina’s iconic park, but over the past few years, the plan has been undermined and business has begun to encroach on public space.

As uprisings in support of Black Lives Matter continue across North America and the world, hundreds gathered in front of the Saskatchewan Legislature to show solidarity and call for justice.

Briarpatch hosted a discussion between David McNally, Isaac Murdoch, Nandita Sharma, John Clarke, and David Camfield on the global COVID-19 and economic crises. Here are the key take-aways.

“if word of such devices spreads, / and more than word, / it may not be just capital that overcomes / the hardened borders of the future capital’s / intent that most of us won’t see.” Poetry runner-up of the Writing in the Margins contest.

In a recent article, Vijay Prashad argues that the challenge of the left is to be both present- and future-oriented at once. As the federal election looms, that’s what I’ve tried to do in this issue of Briarpatch.