News from Leadnow

Do you remember the surge in Islamophobia after the 9/11 terrorist attacks? Governments around the world – including here in Canada – used a climate of fear and division to justify mass surveillance, attacks on human rights, racial profiling and police persecution of Muslim and Arab communities.

These policies, carried out in the name of public safety, actually stoked violence – with a surge in hate crimes against Muslim and Arab people for years – and creeping authoritarianism in the form of increased policing powers and spying on activists.

I see that disturbing history repeating itself today. Following the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, there has been a dangerous rise in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic hate crimes. At the same time, many politicians and media outlets are conflating any peaceful protests advocating for Palestinian human rights with support for terrorism. Those who do speak out against the Israeli military's collective punishment of Palestinians – war crimes including the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and blockades of food, water and medicine – can face extreme professional, personal, and political consequences. read more »

As part of our response to the Israeli-Palestinian violence, we feel compelled to share some educational resources in relation to this complex issue. If you want to see a list of actions you can take, please scroll down to the bottom of the post.

We’ve all been impacted by the unimaginable violence and suffering in Israel and Palestine since October 7.

At Leadnow, we condemn all violence and war crimes against civilians and grieve for the thousands of lives lost in Israel and Palestine and millions displaced in Palestine. We unequivocally condemn anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racism. Our vision of a world where human rights are protected, and human life is sacrosanct is fundamental to our organization. Every day, we are driven by our core values of justice, equality, freedom and democracy in all of our work. read more »

As part of our response to the anti-trans rallies across the country on September 20, 2023, we are sharing some educational resources. If you want to see a list of actions you can take, scroll down to the bottom of the post.

When I came out as non-binary to my parents, I did it in person. They did their best to be supportive. But I could also see confusion on their faces – so I wrote them an email later on to explain some things to them about trans people that they just didn't know.

This blog post I am writing is a lot like that email, because it's clear to me that a lot of people are confused about gender, trans people, and what trans kids need.
  read more »

Leadnow is a democratic, bottom-up organization. We take our direction from our community. As part of that process, every year we survey our active supporters to invite them to share their top priorities for the year, and to ask them questions about key issues of the day. This year's annual survey has just wrapped up, and the results are summarized below. read more »