Fundraising

Giving thanks for the life of Graham Morris

Journey to Justice is hugely grateful to all those who gave so generously in memory of Graham Morris, a great friend of our work. Graham’s dedication to education for human rights and the arts included years as a Headteacher and with the Citizenship Foundation. He was remembered by family and friends at a beautiful celebration of his life in Bristol Memorial Woodlands. It was overflowing with music, stories, poetry and tributes to him as a much loved brother, son, husband, dad, grandfather, colleague and friend. Special thanks to Margaret Ould, Graham’s wife and Jess his daughter, who chose JtoJ as one of the charities people could donate to. Your gifts will make a real difference to all we do.

100 miles and more, dedicated to women activists for social justice.
Each one of a series of walks were dedicated to women who have fought for social or economic justice and change.

Supporters were encouraged to plan their own walks for Journey to Justice in October, or to sponsor walkers.

Women honoured include:

• Maya Angelou
• Erin Pizzey
• Kathleen Ferrier
• Barbara Castle
• Prof. Angela Davis
• Diane Abbott MP
• Harriet Tubman
• Fannie Lou Hamer
• Pragna Patel
• Harriet Wistrich
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Mary Anne Rawson
• Dorothy Dixon-Barrow
• Nellie Bly
• Gareth Peirce
• Ada Salter
• Naz Siddique
• Poly Stryrene
• Mary Prince
• Muriel and Doris Lester

We also remembered Ahlam. Ahlam is a Syrian refugee in Za’atari camp, Jordan and has lived there since 2012. She is a community leader within the camp, and is pioneering female enterprise through the production of soap making, in workshops.

“Any woman who believes she can’t start her own business because
she has no money, it takes 5JD, come to me – I will give it to you”

 She shows new groups of urban refugees how building a home business can be done practically and professionally and has trained 500 other women in soap making. 

And Cecilia, Ermina, Emilia, Greta, Mona, Marian Anderson and the late great Nina Simone. 

JtoJ volunteer Hannah Simpson has put together a fantastic research document on the above women. You can read it here.

Donations supported the Journey to Justice Economic (In)Justice project:  https://journeytojustice.org.uk/economic-injustice/

To donate to Journey to Justice, please go to:  https://localgiving.org/appeal/economicjustice/

Our target was £1,000 & we raised £2,500 by November 10th – thank you all, very much indeed, your support means everything. We/you did it!

November 1st The walk from Malet Street to Church Street North in Stratford took Martin, WeiWei, Tania and Annalisa about four hours – with a half hour break in Victoria Park. After remembering Mary Prince beside her plaque we took a route that included:

• Italian Clerkenwell
• Bunhill Fields Graveyard where we  remembered Mary Tuffley (wife of Daniel Defoe), Catherine (wife of William Blake) and Elizabeth (wife of John Bunyan) beside their husbands’ graves
• Rivington Road in Shoreditch where we remembered Elizabeth Mouncey (first Black girl to be fostered in this country in 1887)
• Arnold Circus (where we remembered the Bengali families who squatted successfully in the 1970s)
• a packed Columbia Road flower market
• Hackney Road where there were long queues of Moldovans voting in their presidential election !
• Victoria Park where we remembered Poly Styrene and Angela Burdett-Coutts
• the Greenway past the Olympic Park, and West Ham Stadium (remembering Jessica Ennis-Hill on ‘that night’ at the Olympics 2012)
• Stratford Westfield and the Stratford Centre
• Church Street North, Stratford where Naz Saddique and her family endured racist attacks for six years

You can read all about the extraordinary women Martin, Tania, WeiWei and Annalisa walked for here.

Mary and Pat, JtoJ supporters, walking for Ada Salter (and Alfred Salter) from Deptford to Bermondsey, along the River Thames, on November 1st.

October 18th C and her walking group walked six miles from Richmond to Kew along the Thames Path, dedicated to Professor Angela Davis.

Carrie and JtoJ volunteer Hannah walked two miles in Kew Gardens and dedicated each step to the mighty Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Pragna Patel.

October 14th, C and V walked 9 miles from Dover to Deal into the wind. Dry and breezy. Hard ish going but beautiful. They dedicate their walk to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

October 12th Sonya, M and C walked 6 miles on a circular walk in the Lincolnshire Wolds around Walesby and the Viking Way for JtoJ and dedicated to the mighty Harriet Tubman.

On October 11th, Carrie and Jonathan walked two miles around Highgate Woods for JtoJ and dedicated it to top legal aid lawyer Gareth Peirce.

On October 10th, Carrie and Jude walked 5 miles over Hampstead Heath and to Waterlow Park for Journey to Justice, dedicated to Harriet Wistrich, founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and a solicitor of 25 years experience. She is the winner of the Liberty Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award 2014, Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2018 for public law and Law Society Gazette personality of the year 2019.

Also on October 10th Caroline and Helen walked  6 miles from Paddington station to Hampstead, dedicated to Ahlam – pioneering leader of women –  now at Za’atari refugee camp.

October 9th: The walk today by Caroline and her friend was dedicated to Maya Angelou They walked five miles from Chiswick to Putney along the River Thames. Thank you!

October 8th saw the third walk for JtoJ. Ten long miles to Hampton Court – dedicated to the phenomenal Erin Pizzey. 23 miles of the 100 have been walked & £400 raised so far! Thank you so much.

On October 4th Caroline and her brother walked five miles for JtoJ dedicated to: Cecilia, Ermina, Emilia, Greta, Mona, Barbara Castle, Kathleen Ferrier, Marian Anderson and the late great Nina Simone on Haworth Moor in the Pennines.

The first of our Walks for JtoJ, dedicated to women activists for social justice with Caroline, Carrie and Tania took place on JtoJ’s 7th anniversary, October 1st. This one, of 8 miles, including Trent Park in North London was dedicated to Fannie Lou Hamer, sharecropper and extraordinary civil rights activist who survived years of brutality and inspired millions.

Kate Malone supports our Postcards for Economic Justice project!

JtoJ is delighted to have the support of ceramicist Kate Malone whose stunning work is internationally renowned and in demand. Kate has designed a set of exquisite postcards for our fundraising project, focused on economic (in)justice.

Here she explains why.

I was introduced to Carrie, founder of Journey to Justice, by Saewon Lee a member of my studio team. I invited her to the studio for a ‘Thursday forum’ studio lunch.

Carrie discussed the objectives of  Journey to Justice  and explained that anyone can be an activist and help bring change regardless of age, sex and ethnicity.  It is an organisation that creates awareness and enables communities to bring positive change.

Community has always been important to me. It is the main drive behind the 12 public art projects I have created over the past 30 years for hospitals libraries, schools and parks both to engage with a community, a place and its history and to give something back.

I am part of many different communities: my  local community, my studio community, the ceramic making community, my academic research community, the education community, the Instagram community, my collecting community to name just a few !!… . As a community group we campaigned to keep the stone cobbles on the tiny London Hackney Mews where we live  and to limit the height of the surrounding buildings – with success. We have a voice.  Awareness is the key and kindness to others.

https://www.katemaloneceramics.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kate_malone_ceramics/

https://www.facebook.com/katemaloneceramics/

SO my personal message is to activate and engage and to spread the word.

About the project

The postcards fundraising project invited anyone interested to help Journey to Justice with their artwork. We asked for expressions of interest in being part of an online art exhibition, to support our new project focused on economic justice and to mark the end of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR). This exhibition enabled the public to purchase an original artwork for a small donation. All proceeds went towards funding our economic justice project.

The Invitation and artists

We invited artists to produce artwork using any medium – drawing, painting, print, collage, textiles etc. on a 6 x 4″ standard postcard and are delighted by the response.

With heartfelt thanks to everyone who has designed and donated their artwork. Artists include: Kate Malone, Mary Spyrou, Ruth Atkinson, Susie Morrow, Annie James, Steve Russell, Stella Yarrow, Jenny Waller, Deanna Tyson, Trish Kelly, Sakib Khan, Shirley Rose, Le Jones, Year 7 and 8 students of  Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College, London Borough of Brent with many thanks to their teacher Nebiat Michael.

We created a truly beautiful collection of postcards to display and sell. You can see them all here. Sales ended in December 2019.

The Theme

The subject for their work is the UNDHR Articles 22-27 focused on economic, social and cultural rights which are often neglected. We invite you to respond to one of the articles below in your artwork.

How will they be sold?

The postcards were advertised on our website for purchase at £5 – £10 (or a special deal for multiple buys). We also encouraged supporters to donate what they can. The artwork appeared anonymous on our website, but will be signed on the back for the purchaser.

Contact: info@journeytojustice.org.uk for more information

Hackney Half Marathon

Huge thanks to volunteer Alison Wood who ran the Hackney Half Marathon for​ JtoJ on May 20th 2018 and reached 121% of her target raising £510 for essential core funds: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/alisonhackneyhalf/

Thank you!

JtoJ supporter Melly Still ran the San Sebastian Marathon for JtoJ in November 2017 and raised the funds we needed to bring our exhibition to Newham in March 2018. Massive thanks Melly and to everyone who donated:

https://localgiving.org/fundraising/mellymarathon/

The Just Food Cook Book

My name is Róisín. I’m 12 years old and I started secondary school in 2016. My bat mitzvah was last December (2016) and as part of becoming a bat mitzvah I decided to lead a charity fundraising project.

I chose Journey to Justice (J to J) as my charity.  In 2014 I was a volunteer at its launch event and there were lots of interesting people on stage talking about how they fought for justice through the arts and it really inspired me and made me aware and helped me become who I am today.

I made the decision to create a book of recipes from people around the world who have fought for justice. I came up with this project in order to campaign for Journey to Justice, which, in the eyes of some of my friends and family, makes me a campaigner for justice who therefore deserves a page in this recipe book.

I have always been concerned about inequality in the world and how some people just can’t get along because of silly reasons like the colour of their skin.

One of the people I admire in history is Mary Seacole who was a Black nurse in the Crimean War. She helped thousands of soldiers in the war and opened her own hospital. People like Florence Nightingale were praised for their work, whereas Mary Seacole, being a poor Black woman, was forgotten until very recently although she was very popular in her lifetime.

When I’m older I hope to be a designer or an architect and also a politician for my borough, representing the Green Party.

The funds I raise will go towards sending J to J’s exhibition all around the country and influencing young people everywhere as it did me.

I hope you decide to buy a copy (or two!). They’re only £5.00 and you can order them here:

Speakers’ Corner JtoJ human rights marathon, April 23rd 2017

We had a fascinating and memorable experience at Speakers’ Corner with our partners ATD – Fourth World who are anti-poverty activists and members of UpRising emphasising environmental justice. We told stories of human rights struggles from our exhibition about less known children, women and men whose example inspires us all including Ruby Bridges, Janice Wesley, Jean Stallings, Memphis sanitation workers and the Burston School strike. Tania offered PM Clem Attlee as a champion of social justice and Martin told the true story of St. George highlighting its relevance to today. He was a child soldier and refugee who was beheaded after his rights were denied.  Read more about ‘Syrian George’ here

“The way Journey to Justice links the past to the present felt palpable during the Human Rights Marathon. Standing perched on a ladder at Speakers’ Corner connected us to the many people who have spoken there in the past, some more radical than others, but all passionate enough for their causes to reach out to the general public. The beautiful weather seemed tailor-made to draw listeners. We each had different stories to tell, and a few of us were even brave enough to argue with hecklers. Listening to everyone helped to renew my own sense of purpose in the struggle for social justice.” (Diana)

“Fascinating to experience stories related to social justice being told in public and watching people react to them, a genuine platform for direct campaigning and an amazing celebration of free speech.” (Will)

“For me, the Speakers’ Corner event was pivotal in its incredible mission to share publicly the message of human rights and ordinary people’s daily struggles for lasting change. ‎ It’s a fantastic project which makes a tangible difference, causing people to think and respond.   Wishing Journey to Justice continued success.”  (Andia)

“Although daunting at first, it felt great to be standing on the ground where many have spoken before. Speaking in solidarity with partners ATD and UpRising and promoting human rights to a lively diverse crowd was stimulating and fun!  We told our stories of ‘ordinary’ people past and present who found a voice and took courageous action to improve our world to a new audience.” (Pat)

“It felt like a team day out, spreading what we love most – social justice, history and the power of the voice. It’s inspiring to hear young people address environmental health and see their confidence to speak passionately about issues that affect us all.”  (Parul)

JtoJ Music Fundraiser, July 2017

As a performer:  I loved performing at Journey to Justice, there is something especially empowering about expressing yourself through music for an event with a purpose for good change!  As an audience member: I enjoyed listening to the stories and expressions of the other artists who all touched on the relative issues of today through their art. 
Kemi

A wonderful evening of youth led entertainment in a fabulously supportive atmosphere. When ADZ asked if there were any hip hop fans in the room, as a fifty one year old white woman, I didn’t think I was one. But I was wrong! I had to leave early but wished I could have stayed. When’s the next one, please?
Rachel

 I very much enjoyed the evening and it was so inspirational to hear the words and songs of so many talented young people. It was such a positive atmosphere and everyone was so friendly and welcoming.
Annie

It was exciting to see raw talent. The collaboration among musicians, technicians and organisers was clearly genuine and respectful. They melded naturally.
Jude

I didn’t really know what to expect from the evening but from the moment I got through the door I was entranced by the positive, clever talent the young people showed. Amongst all the recent/current tirade of negative news stories this was a positive bolt of energy which made me aware of the talent so many young people are showing despite and because of the hard reality they are now having to cope with.  So a huge ‘big up ‘ to them and their friends who are making themselves and their pain heard and a hearty thank you for such an enjoyable evening.
Mary

The beauty of the evening was the high quality, not only of the artists’ music but also the honesty in their lyrics, their integrity, warmth and respect for each others’ craft, and identification with the aims of JtoJ.  These young performers are truly inspirational and a reminder of how music and poetry of protest, solidarity and hope is alive in so many forms on our streets and in our clubs.
Martin

A spectacular event that I will remember for a long-time. It was quite nerve-racking at first because of some uncertainties and we wanted things to go well for JtoJ and the artists.  We wanted to learn from our previous events. However, all of this disappeared very quickly as soon as the artists started to perform and the crowd filled up the room. I felt overwhelmed by the amazing talent that our young people have. They have a vision for the world, they want to see change and they want people to listen to their journey, story and struggle though their music. A lot of effort has been put into organising this music fundraiser by every single one of us in JtoJ London team. Well done!
Tania

After arriving for my first collaboration with them, I quickly realised that Journey to Justice is a community of humans that really care. Performing for them was a great experience, anybody that really cares about art, learning from other people’s stories and wants to be empowered/empower others, get involved! You wont regret it! (I certainly didn’t)
Magic EKJ

soulful rnb from Kemi Sulola

spoken word from Solo Kulture

jazzy hiphop from Hasna D

Boy Nash

Magic EKJ

ADZ

and the unforgettable voice of Naz
worldwide eclectic dance tunes from top DJ
Lo-Fi Odysseys:

All proceeds in aid of Journey to Justice www.journeytojustice.org.uk
Journey to Justice (JtoJ) inspires and empowers people to take action for social justice through learning about human rights movements and the arts.

Tickets £4 only at:
https://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/99554/chk/bb31

JtoJ Summer Fundraising Party

June 13^th 2017, The Fable, 52 Holborn Viaduct, EC1A 2FD, 18.30 – 23.00

For the third time at a JtoJ event, patron Baroness Helena Kennedy QC wowed the room, this time at our Summer Fundraising Party. She spoke about: the importance of JtoJ’s work and why she loves it; her family’s links with struggles for justice including the 1915 Glasgow Rent Strike and the positive signs of hope and activism for more equality now.  We were also delighted to welcome patron Dr Paul Stephenson and his wife Joyce. Paul was one of the leaders of the successful 1963 Bristol bus boycott against racism.

Compered by volunteers Tania Aubeelack and Arianna Assanelli, 80 guests enjoyed a night of cocktails (thanks to our co-organiser Susannah Sheppard’s generous donation of Xoriguer gin) and tasty snacks as they met each other and heard about JtoJ’s work from director Carrie Supple, Chair Chandra Vemury, trainers Martin Spafford and Parul Motin, Bristol JtoJ co-ordinator Dr Madge Dresser and fundraiser Roisin Gewirtz-O’Reilly. We showed short films about our exhibition, volunteers and training programmes.

“It was a really relaxed and yet exciting party…JtoJ is so with the zeitgeist!”

“A lovely and moving event, thank you. I was honoured to, briefly, meet Paul Stephenson.”

“It was a great event – congratulations. How does Helena do it? Just takes the microphone and speaks coherently for 10 minutes! Her speech was so inspiring!”

“I had a lovely time on Tuesday and it was great hearing people truly believing in this cause. Thanks for organising such a good and inspiring evening! I am looking forward to starting my journey to justice with your charity!”

“What a lovely fabulous party last night!  Many thanks, it was wonderful to be there and meet so many great inspirational people and enjoy a wonderful cocktail or two!!”

“Such a great and memorable event! All the speakers I heard were inspiring uplifting and brilliant.”

“What a wonderfully put together evening. What an interesting group of guests and volunteers. Such dedication and passion you have all instilled in everyone is fantastic. Beautiful beautiful evening – great food, atmosphere and generous heart. I was really happy and proud to be there.”

“I loved it!”

“A very special gathering of wonderful people. It was heartwarming, full of love and good will to make a better world. The room was full of positive energy that has enriched further the road of the journey of the exhibition. “

“Last night was wonderful. I loved speaking to your lovely lovely volunteers and to your charming new chair. The atmosphere was great; everyone was happy.”

“Last night was such a great and memorable event! As always I loved every minute of it……”

“Thank you so much for last night I really enjoyed myself. I had some really fascinating conversations with other guests. There really was a fantastic atmosphere in the room.”

“Well done, an excellent evening. Enjoyable and hopefully very effective!”

“What a successful evening.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I talked to a number of interesting people who are clearly inspired by the work of Journey to Justice.”

“What a great party – thanks for the invite!  Very motivational speeches and I hope JtoJ makes a ton of money.”

“Thanks for a fabulous evening last night. I hope we got lots of donations!”

“A superb and special evening.”

Huge thanks to everyone who came and helped and gave to us. Your donations mean we can continue our work all over the country.

As we arrived home, the horrific news from Grenfell Tower, North Kensington was breaking…

See the Press Release here 

JtoJ Fundraiser at STYX, Tottenham Hale, 27th November 2016

Introducing a superb line-up:

Kemi, Lemzi, Naz, Wyll, Hasna D, Tells, Boy Nash and DJs Felix and Lo-Fi Odysseys who gave us their time and talent and created a wonderful atmosphere with strong messages for Journey to Justice about the struggle for human rights here and in the US. Thank you all and to our brilliant volunteer organisers: Tania, Dani, Diane, Pankaja, Alison and Jennifer, what a team! See you again in July 2017.

Sheffield dance fundraiser, ‘The Journey’, at Crookes Social Club, 29th January 2016

As I left home that Friday night, I consoled myself with the thought that whatever happened, the evening was already a success. Firstly, half a dozen musical acts had bought into the philosophy of JtoJ by giving their time and talent at no charge. Secondly, a group of supporters had volunteered to help on the night – selling tickets, T-shirts, taking photos and filming. Thirdly, publicity about our exhibition programme had gone out on local radio and the television station, ‘Sheffield 5Live’, local shops and via student networks of Hallam and Sheffield Universities. Finally, over 50 people had bought tickets online and many others had promised to pay on the door.

As I entered the club, I heard Alan Deadman and his engineer Matt running a sound check, I sighed. So what if it was cold and raining outside, however many came we would enjoy ourselves. I could not believe that all of this had been pulled together in little over three months by the legendary Alan, an alchemist of World Music bands. Thanks to his talent and reputation he had persuaded the artists to participate. The magic started just after 8 p.m. with the opening strains of DJLS sound system. Lloyd was followed by the mesmerising Afro-Samba dancers of ‘Mulembas D’Africa’ and their charismatic leader Angelina Abel accompanied by members of a 4-piece band. The burgeoning crowd of over a hundred were silent as she read Warsan Shire’s devastating poem ‘No one leave home, unless home is the mouth of a shark’, capturing the grief and trauma of the refugee experience: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/16/poets-speak-out-for-refugees-

The room rocked to the dance beat mixes of DJ Papa Al – ably supported by his son Alex Deadman and the rising star of rapper YT echoing JtoJ’s messages of social justice and activism. Soon 150 people were dancing to the infectious Afro-beat of K.O.G. The evening reached a crescendo with the power of Steve ‘Papa’ Edwards’ Northern Soul and the final leg of the night was captured as DJ Winston Hazell’s smooth jazzy beats floated over the dance floor until the early hours.

We raised over £1,000 which was fantastic and will help pay for the installation of our exhibition ready for its Sheffield launch at The Art House on 28th May. Huge thanks to everyone who helped.

Email: mark.hutchinson52@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved.

Mark Hutchinson, former Chair of JtoJ and JtoJ co-ordinator in Sheffield.

Selma Screening Fundraiser

Pathe will release ‘Selma’, starring British actor David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson; Carmen Ejogo as Coretta King; Tim Roth as Governor George Wallace; and Oprah Winfrey as Annie Lee Cooper, in UK cinemas on 6th February.

Journey to Justice held three exclusive preview screenings of the film in Sheffield, Newcastle & London to help fund our education work. Every penny of your ticket price went to projects which made connections with campaigns for social justice now. Our travelling exhibition on the US civil rights movement and its links to the UK was at Discovery Museum in Newcastle throughout April 2015.

SELMA tells the story of the historic struggle to secure voting rights for African-Americans.  The film, directed by Ava DuVernay tracks a dangerous and terrifying three month campaign led by Dr King which culminated in the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in March 1965. It galvanized American public opinion and persuaded President Johnson to introduce the Voting Rights Act, protecting African-Americans’ right to vote. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of this pivotal moment in the US Civil Rights Movement and our event is a week after MLK Day and the eve of Holocaust Memorial Da

5-star review: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11275206/Selma-review-righteous-visceral.html

‘Tremendous… A flat-out great film. Oyelowo is electrifying as Martin Luther King’ (5 stars, Daily Telegraph)
‘A film everyone should see… phenomenal’ (Glamour)
‘A triumph… stunning’ (Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail)

London

Monday January 26th 2015
7pm, Charlotte St Hotel, 15-17 Charlotte St, London W1T 1RJ

Sheffield

Saturday 31st January 2015, 11 am, Tickets £7 to fund Sheffield pilot of JtoJ
The VOID room 123 Owen Building, City Campus
Sheffield Hallam University S1 1WB

Newcastle

Sat. Jan. 31^st
2pm at Star and Shadow Cinema, Stepney Bank, NE1 2NP
With special guest speakers

What activists can learn from Selma:

http://flavorwire.com/495685/what-activists-can-learn-from-Selma

Ten things you should know about Selma before you see the film:

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/01/04/ten-things-you-should-know-about-selma-you-see-film

Facing History and Ourselves: teaching ideas:

http://lanetwork.facinghistory.org/selma/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=LA%20Network%20Blog%20Outreach

We were thrilled at the response to our three preview screenings. All events were full – London and Newcastle sold out of tickets and had waiting lists. We raised enough funds to support some of our education projects in the forthcoming Newcastle pilot and to give Sheffield a healthy start to its pilot. Thanks to: Pathe Films, our volunteers, superb speakers and to everyone who supported us

Parul Motin’s Fundraising Event

Team member and English teacher Parul Motin held a fundraising evening at her home for friends and family to showcase the work of JtoJ. They enjoyed refreshments and the films and poetry of our projects and heard the views of young people who have gained so much from their involvement with JtoJ. Thanks everyone for your support and generosity, we could not do without you.

‘My favourite part today was watching the children express themselves through the power of poetry. It was extremely touching and inspiring.’ (Lili Bayne)

‘ I love Journey to Justice’s aims. I lacked knowledge in school and had to learn from my mum and the internet.’ (Rochelle Mullings)

‘It’s wonderful to know that JtoJ exists and serves to address and eradicate fear and equality. To see the impact it had on the children was awesome.’ (Nadia Altaf)

‘My day was educational.  I learnt many new stories!’ (Yusrah Kalyaci)

‘I look forward to seeing the great changes JtoJ will encourage.I have certainly gained a much more in depth understanding of what JtoJ stands for.’ (Afsana Motin)

Journey To Justice sings songs of Civil Rights & Social Justice

On Wednesday July 23rd 2014 Journey to Justice and friends sang songs of the civil rights movement and international peace on the South Bank. We were led by the fabulous UCLU Jazz Vocals, stars of our launch event in June and the Big Red Band. Songs included We Shall Overcome, The Hammer Song, I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free, There Is Power In A Union, A Change is Gonna Come, Motherless Child and Oh Freedom. (You can read about the some of the song’s history here).

Passersby gathered to watch, join in and applaud. Ironically we weren’t allowed to unfurl our magnificent banner (see launch photos), hand out leaflets or collect for the crowdfunding campaign, but we did link up with our partners in Newcastle, Songs Protest Rhythm & Rhyme in the Mining Institute. And at 7.05pm just as we’d planned, we sang Solidarity Forever at the same time!

Why sing? Music has always been at the heart of social justice and protest, everywhere. It brings hope, strength and unity. We sing in solidarity with those who work for social justice in the UK and those who try to build peace and understanding in the face of human rights abuses, hate and war everywhere – CAR, Ethiopia, Gaza, Israel, Iraq, North Korea, Russia, Syria and the Ukraine. ‘Without music, the civil rights movement would have been a bird with no wings’ (Congressman John Lewis)

Filming by Rebecca Polden-Churchill Photos by Bethany Hunt

Join us for a mass sing of civil rights and social justice songs

One week before the end of our crowd funding campaign! Please help Journey to Justice reach its target!

Just bring your voices – we’ll provide song sheets. Tell your friends, family & networks too & please donate at: www.buzzbnk.org/journeytojustice by 31 July 2014. Help us build our travelling exhibition about the US civil rights movement & its impact, linked to UK histories of human rights campaigns.

See you on Wednesday July 23^rd 2014 at 6pm, the South Bank

Brother Outsider: TheStory of Bayard Rustin

‘THE PROOF THAT ONE TRULY BELIEVES IS IN ACTION.’ BAYARD RUSTIN

On June 14th 2014, we held our first public event, a screening of Brother Outsider at The RADA Studios. Brother Outsider tells the story of Bayard Rustin who was African American, Communist, gay, pacifist and a phenomenal organiser of the US civil rights movement. He was an anglophile and visited the UK over 20 times, helping to organise the Aldermaston Marches and campaign for our race relations laws. We were joined at the screening by the film’s co-director, Bennett Singer who left a message for Journey to Justice.

The turnout, discussion and feedback was excellent.

‘Journey to Justice is an inspiring project – and the Bayard Rustin film was a fitting first public event to launch your important efforts to build support for the movement for social justice in the UK and globally.

The film showed powerfully that understanding and learning from the past is a much more sustainable way to build and create social change. Rustin learned from his grandmother the ways of peaceful protest, he learned from Gandhi about how to conduct an effective civil disobedience campaign. He knew it was his human right to be gay and insisted on being open about his sexual orientation, long before this was socially acceptable, and paid personal and political costs for doing so. He advised others, including Martin Luther King, based on his own learning and built a clear vision based on his strategic thought, his experience, clarity and integrity. He showed the way through walking the talk in every way, including pointing out where others were wrong.

So much of our current experience of showing support for social issues is through ‘clicktivist’ campaigns – misguiding people that change can be delivered by signing up to an online petition. Such campaigns can only be a part of the important work of organising, learning, collectivising social action.

Congratulations on this initiative, and best of luck for the launch next week. So sorry I won’t be able to be there, but look forward to participating in future.’ Cindy Berman

“Journey to Justice’s showing of Brother Outsider about the awe-inspiring Bayard Rustin was a totally uplifting and extremely thought-provoking event. Bayard’s life embodied Journey to Justice’s values of challenging injustice through non-violent action; compassion for all people; tolerance and inclusion; the importance of music to inspire and promote solidarity as well as a constant debate about how to actually achieve a more just society. The chance to meet and discuss this award-winning film with Bennett Singer, its joint director, made the screening a very memorable occasion. I loved the film and learned so much.” Pat Boyer

‘Journey to Justice has already affected me because I’ve learned about Bayard Rustin.’ Aziz Rahman

Articles about Bayard Rustin by Eric Lee of Labour Start:

http://www.ericlee.info/blog/?p=558

http://njjewishnews.com/article/4796/israeli-apartheid-and-the-ghost-of-bayard-rustin#.U56y_zNOWP8

Exhibition Fundraising

As the exhibition travelled and community teams developed, they became part of a wider network of local JtoJ teams, offering support and advice to each other and new teams as they form. Our ultimate aim is to create a legacy of interest, involvement and activity which will generate a national network of JtoJ groups connected to and supporting each other in their pursuit of social justice.

In addition to our pilot cities, Newcastle and Sheffield, in 2014 we were in discussion with key people in Manchester, Leicester, Bristol, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Norwich, Newport, London and Bradford who expressed serious interest in bringing Journey to Justice to their cities. You can see where the exhibition travelled to between 2015-2020 here.

Read about our aims and plans in this blog written by Carrie Supple for the RSA:
http://www.rsablogs.org.uk/2014/fellowship/big-idea-standing-shoulders-won-rights/

Journey to Justice featured in the Tottenham Journal:

Below are photos taken on our Crowd Funding film day, March 22nd 2014. Photography courtesy of Tino Antoniou