Book Launch - Confronting Injustice: Social Activism in the Age of Individualism

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

  • Time: 6:00pm – 12:00am
  • Location: York University, Student Centre, Room 313
  • Address: 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, Canada (map)
  • Accessibility: Wheelchair Accessible, Gender-neutral Washrooms

According to recent estimates 400,000 people die every year as a result of human-made global warming. The UN projects that 3 billion additional people may be pushed into extreme poverty by 2050 because of environmental destruction. The scale of the problems we face should make it clear that individualist, lifestyle-centric approaches to activism will not suffice. We need to change the structures of our social system, not our light bulbs. “Confronting Injustice” seeks to expose the structural roots of the injustices we must confront, and outlines an approach to activism which transcends the hopeless individualism of our time.

Umair Muhammad has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He is currently pursuing an MA in Political Science at York University. His research focuses on the political economy of climate change. Umair has been involved in anti-poverty and environmental activism for six years. He is currently a member of Jane and Finch Action Against Poverty, where he is helping to organize against the proposed reversal of Enbridge’s Line 9.

The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) at York University is a student funded, student-run, nonpartisan organization on campus that conducts research, advocacy, organizing, lobbying, as well as educational and media campaigns. Over the years OPIRG York has stood at the forefront of social justice mobilization at York University, operating a dynamic space that acts as one of the main activist hubs on campus. OPIRG York is a bastion of creativity, passion and idealism.

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