/ Lewis & Clark College Support Staff Association (LCCSSA)/Social Justice & the LCCSSA

Social Justice & the LCCSSA

We are encouraged by the energy of the current civil unrest.

Protests by the disenfranchised against police brutality and racism are long overdue.

We are galvanized in doing the work of a union when we see great change already in its wake, but that is not enough for us.

We are committed to changing our society into one we can hold up to the light for all to see as fair and egalitarian.

Until working together feels natural, we will work against those who would leave race relations as they are and those who would prop up the pillars erected in our past.

We will fight the forces of exploitation and dismantle the last vestiges of structural racism.

Unions by their very nature are social justice organizations. Social justice is about promoting tolerance, freedom, and equality for all people. LCCSSA stands with those being marginalized, villainized, or bullied. We work hard to ensure our community is a safe place for all. We must continue to learn, grow, and improve as representatives in our community.

Together we strive to ensure:

Respect for all;
Respect for a variety of experiences and personal expression;
Respect for everyone’s right to hold and express their own opinions;
Respect for the rights of all individuals to live in the full protections and freedoms provided by our constitution regardless of ethnicity, age, religion, race, gender, gender orientation, physical ability, social class, or political view.

We, the Executive Board, feel very strongly that as a group we must work hard to safeguard our rights as a bargaining unit. LCCSSA works hard to be a Place and a People that is safe, supportive, and strong.

We have a responsibility to make every effort to be a place for listening and inclusive dialog:

Where we feel safe to express our concerns and feelings;
Where our individual voices are respected and heard;
Where discrimination will never be tolerated;
Where we will not bully or be bullied;
Where shy or fearful individuals, or those who hold minority views, feel secure enough to engage in a dialog to express those views.