Shaking the foundations
by David Ball
SCM General Secretary
July 5, 2009
A quick update for all you SCMers and supporters out there.
I just put the finishing touches on a short audio-video slideshow, What is SCM? An Intro to the Movement which tells a bit about SCM’s vision, our history, and the voices of some of the students involved. Former General Co-Secretary Emily Carr and I worked on this slideshow on the train during our Western tour earlier this year, and we hope you enjoy it (one of these days, we’ll actually have an intro movie to SCM with some interviews).
At Conference, the students decided to shake things up a bit, restructuring the Board to be more dynamic, responsive to current needs, and representative of both regional diversity and the strategic priorities of outreach, antioppression, resources and finances. We also decided to replace “national” with “general” to reflect the many nations within “Canada.” Read more at our General Board page, as well as bios of the new Board members.
There’s a lot going on in SCM since conference. We’ve invited anyone interested in being part of SCM at the general level to check out our Working Groups to volunteer and contribute your talents.
And we’ve been putting out Solidarity Statements – two we’re working on as I write on the situation in Iran, and on free trade with Peru.
On June 21, ‘National Aboriginal Day’, SCM re-affirmed our commitment to solidarity with Indigenous peoples here and worldwide by distributing a Draft Resolution on Indigenous Rights, approved at this year’s General Council by the membership for further discussion and action.
We’re looking for your feedback – the final resolution will be passed at next year’s Council.
Finally, after much concern and prayer within SCM, here’s an update on the situation of Abousfian Abdelrazik, the Canadian citizen exiled in the Canadian embassy in the Sudan without charges but blocked from returning home.
After years of imprisonment, exile, torture, and legal avoidance, a judge ordered the government to bring Abousfian home within 30 days. Abousfian returned safely to Canada last Saturday, and SCM rejoices at his safe homecoming, although many barriers remain for his life.
I was one of hundreds of Canadians who paid for two separate plane tickets to make the government’s decision easier. Read SCM’s solidarity statement on Abousfian’s situation.
Many thanks for your support – as No One Is Illegal Vancouver told us recently:
SCM has played a pivotal role in supporting the struggle for migrant justice, particularly by defending the moral tradition of offering sanctuary to those they believe are unfairly facing deportation by the state… As allies in the movement for self-determination, freedom, and liberation of all oppressed people we offer our warmest thanks for SCM’s commitment to the migrant justice movement and look forward to growing solidarity in the struggle ahead.
Let’s celebrate the successes in our struggle, while continuing to shake the foundations, turn the tables, and rejoice in the new world being born in our midst.
See you in the fall, with local units starting back up for school, and November’s Pilgrimage of Resistance
