Collective Liberation
SURJ Toronto believes in collective liberation – that none of us can be free until we end white supremacy.
We live in a time of great hope and possibility, yet the potential for a just world for all of us is not possible when racism, colonialism, and other forms of oppression keep us divided. This can make us forget how closely connected we truly are.
Racism is still present throughout all of our contemporary institutions and structures. Racism has very tangible impacts on Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities and is closely intertwined with all systems of oppression. It robs all of us – Black, Indigenous, racialized, and white people – of our humanity. We honour and learn from the long history of Black, Indigenous, racialized, and white people who have been unrelenting in their struggles for racial justice, decolonization, and ending all systems of oppression.
It is our job to dismantle white supremacy. Beyond interactions with our friends and loved ones, we must organize to disrupt and undermine the power of white supremacist institutions and systems. We are showing up to take our responsibility as white people to act collectively and publicly to challenge the manipulation of racist fear by the white ruling class and corporate elite. We know that to transform this country we must be part of building a powerful multi-racial majority to challenge racism in all its forms.
SURJ Toronto’s role, as part of a multi-racial movement, is to undermine white support for white supremacy and to help build a racially just society. That work cannot be done in isolation from or disconnected from the powerful leadership of communities of colour. It is one part of a multi-racial, cross-class movement centring Black, Indigenous, and racialized leadership. SURJ believes in resourcing organizing led by people of colour, and maintaining strong accountability relationships with Black, Indigenous, and racialized organizers and communities.
Mutual Interest Organizing
SURJ believes that we must ground our organizing in a framework of “mutual interest”. White supremacy is integral to economic injustice, to maintaining patriarchy and other forms of oppression. Racism and white supremacy keep the many divided for the benefit of the few. We must have an inclusive, open-hearted approach to organizing, calling people into this work rather than creating barriers to participation while maintaining a clear political line. When those of us who are white realize that racial justice is core to our liberation as well, then masses of white people will withdraw support from white supremacy. Together, as part of a powerful multi-racial, cross-class movement for collective liberation we can force the system of white supremacy to crumble.
In order to activate this theory of change, we employ three core strategies:
Delegitimize racist institutions
Fight for a fair economy that refuses to pit communities against each other
Shift culture (meaning the underlying beliefs folks have about people and the world) in a way that undermines support for white supremacy
These strategies are dependent on multi-racial organizing and a specific focus on deepening, amplifying, and centring the leadership and organizing of poor and working-class folks, and rural communities.
Within this framework, our network is using a number of tactics, including leading and participating in campaigns, base-building, direct action, relationship-building, communications work and more.