In conjunction with the official launch of Scholars for Social Justice, the organization will be hosting a Twitter chat on Feb. 13th beginning at 7 PM CST/8 PM EST. The chat will be moderated by Jenn Jackson and will feature BYP 100’s Charlene Carruthers, Black Youth Project’s Cathy Cohen, Alvaro Huerta, Barbara Ransby, C. Riley Snorton, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.

Scholars for Social Justice is a brand-new formation of self-described progressive scholars promoting and fighting for a political agenda which insists on justice for all, but especially those who are most vulnerable. SSJ will seek to mobilize the knowledge, skills and resources of scholars/academics to combat the attacks on immigrants, women of color, LGBT, Muslims, women, the differently-abled, indigenous, and poor/working-class communities.

A central focus of SSJ will be to use the experiences and perspectives of these underserved groups to re-imagine an academy that is an inclusive force rather than an exclusive club for those who makes it comfortable. The group has been formed as a response to the continued attacks on those who fall under these identifiers from President Trump and his administration. While everyone is encouraged to join the group, the leadership will be composed of those who are at the intersections of the targeted violence of this current administration.

SSJ has 7 key principles at launch, which they say will expand as the need arises:

1. Reparations for slavery and anti-Black racism
2. Immigration and migration
3. Feminism, gender and sexuality
4. International and trans-national struggle
5. Continued resistance to white supremacy, racism and anti-Blackness
6. Anti-state violence and anti-mass incarceration
7. Labor rights and economic Justice (Invest/Divest formula)

SSJ stands in solidarity with and in some aspects in conversation with the Movement for Black Lives, Sanctuary and Immigrants Rights Movement, and the Fight For Fifteen. Additionally, the group sees itself as engaged in a global struggle for the advancement of oppressed peoples and will look to collaborate with as well as communicate with progressive scholars from South Africa to Palestine.

Join us on Twitter Feb. 13th!