November 2021, Design Justice Newsletter
Dear DJN Members, Signatories, and Friends,
As we approach the end of a year, we have lots to reflect on, share, and give gratitude. In our personal and professional lives, so much has changed and evolved, as we continue to push for and stay grounded in movement-based organizing - in our communities, our homes, families, friends, relationships, and worldwide. We remain so grateful to this community! Please stay tuned for a couple of big announcements during the month of December: the launch of the Design Justice Mission, Vision, and Intentions, and an additional update about the DJN Steering Committee!
Especially look out for our Member story highlight this month with mike Harrington, and a new section called DJNconnects!
A quick note of reminder that the fourth quarterly DJN Pause (Winter) will take place between Dec 20 - Jan 2 (extended end-of-year break) for our Steering Committee team & staff. We won't be posting on social media or answering emails during this time. Another reminder: The Communications Working Group is looking for members' insights on current needs and hopes when it comes to cultivating an online community. Survey Here.
Wherever you are, we hope moments of rest, joy, and connection find you.
- Taylor Simone and Victoria Barnett, DJN International Network Coordinators, and the DJN Communications team!
Email: designjusticenetwork@gmail.com
Instagram: @designjusticenetwork
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designjusticenetwork
Twitter: @design__justice (double underscore)
Web: designjustice.org
Latest member story
Meet DJN Member, Mike Harrington
This month, we would like to highlight and celebrate DJN Member, Michael Harrington. Mike is responsible for supporting the work of the Tishman Center by liaising with offices and departments throughout the university and implementing projects that advance The New School’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. Before joining the TEDC team, He worked at Elevate Energy, organizing around creating equity in the energy efficiency market; served as the chair of another environmental non-profit, the Delta Institute; and has helped manage an organic food bank garden for people with compromised immune systems. He also served on the associate board of the Green City Market, Chicago’s largest farmer’s market. He obtained his Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School and has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in Psychology, with a specialization in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and was a 2019 Urban Design Forum Forefront Fellow and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Delta Institute, an environmental non-profit. Mike is a DJN member, and part of the DJN Communications Team!
You can learn more about Mike Harrington by following him on Twitter @mrhansudo or Instagram @squalllionmonochrome.
New Section
DJN Connects! #DJNconnects
This is a new section in our newsletter to highlight DJN members meeting up in person: whether traveling to meet each other, in-person meetings, or chance happenings! We’d love to feature these stories and we encourage all DJN members and signatories to share stories and images of when they visit and meet each other in person, across cities, countries, and borders! We're hearing your feedback on wanting to see more people in the network - so cannot wait to hear and see more of your stories. If you’d like to submit some images and a brief writeup or story about your meeting or visit in real life, please email them to us at desgnjusticenetwork@gmail.com - or post on your social media platform - tag us and use the hashtag #DJNconnects
Toronto Node + Washington DMV node members connect!
#DJNconnectsNovember, Toronto, ON
We traveled across the city for food, drinks, museums, and just tons of fun! We discussed #DesignJustice and attended meetings (one network-wide) together and apart! Victoria says: “I'm forever grateful to this wonderful person for this visit, for our friendship, and for the amazing Network (DJN) that allowed us to meet!
Washington DMV member and node facilitator, M, traveled to Toronto, ON, Canada, to visit with Victoria, one of the DJN International Network coordinators and long-time DJN member in October 2021! The two members had been connecting for over a year online-only, discussing accessibility and inclusion within the Design Justice Network, and brainstormed ways to improve access within and outside of the network (an ongoing process). What started as informal introductions, storytelling, and sharing ideas, turned into a great friendship! M had been planning to visit Toronto for some time, and when Victoria was in need of some personal support, M decided to make the visit!
Part of the visit included exchanging different kinds of support: M supported Victoria with making her apartment space be more centered around rest, care, and accessibility, while Victoria supported by helping them experience all the stereotypical Canadian things like poutine, maple-flavored everything, Tim Hortons, and all dressed chips!! Victoria also gave M a bit of a tour of the local organizing scene in Toronto, like Glad Day Bookshop (an important part of the AIDS activism of the 80s) and the history of student activism as commemorated by the memorial to the unknown student statue at the University of Toronto. Part of the trip also included challenging each other to try things that we both had not done or tried before: for example, Victoria is not a huge art gallery visitor, and M had not tried different beer flavors - so both tried something new or outside of their norms! Both M and Victoria also participated in the DJN Facilitator’s connect meeting on November 4th (from the same camera), and both participated in other DJN meetings during the visit as well! You can check out the photos below to see some of their adventures (and stay tuned for an upcoming social media post/share)!
Events
Find events happening this month or go to designjustice.org/events for more. If you have ideas on how our events can be more accessible, please send us an email.
November 30: Welcome to the Design Justice Network: 8 am ET (GMT-05)
November 30: Philly Node Meeting: 7 pm ET (GMT-05)
December 1: DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) Node Meetup: 6:30pm ET (GMT-05)
December 2: Node & Working Group Facilitators Connect Meeting: 8pm ET (GMT-05)
December 9: Vancouver Community Visioning Jam, Part 2: 5pm PST (GMT-08)
December 13: Boston Node Node Meeting: 7pm EST (GMT-05)
December 16: Seattle Node Meeting: 5:30PM PT (UTC-08)
December 20: London, UK Node Event: Book Club: 6pm BST
December 21: London, UK Node Event: Book Club 5pm BST
Translate to your timezone using thetimezoneconverter.com or timeanddate.com.
Getting started with DJN
If you’re new to the Design Justice Network, welcome! Here are some resources to help get you started. As we continue to build these resources we welcome your questions and feedback.
Read an overview on how to get involved
Watch one of our Welcome to the Design Justice Network meeting recordings
Check out our YouTube channel
Read about our membership benefits
Receive care in our Design Justice Network Care Circle (a benefit for DJN Members)
Review our finances.
DJN Facilitators Connect + Nodes & Working Group Updates
December 2: Node & Working Group Facilitators Connect Meeting (8 pm ET, GMT-05)
If you’re interested in joining the DJN Communications Working Group, please follow this link for more information. We would like to thank our amazing volunteer, Tyler Gindraux for her work with DJN over the past year - she has supported this monthly newsletter by curating and editing the content, and will be stepping down after December 2021! She will be missed in this role, but remains a DJN member! If you’re interested in supporting the DJN newsletters, please get in touch!
The Design Justice Network (DJN) Principles at Work (PAW) Zine subgroup is creating a series of mini-zines around applying the principles in professionalized workplaces. We are looking for visual and written submissions for the first mini-zine in the series, "Design Justice Principles at Work: Principles to Practice". If you'd like to contribute, please fill out this form. (https://forms.gle/GEgPEXUwdCxLBYGw9)
The Design Justice Principles at Work working group can be reached at designjustice.atwork@gmail.com to get involved and learn more. They host two regular meetings a month, with various sub-groups, so please get in touch if you’re interested.
All of our current nodes and working groups are listed on our website. If you’re thinking of starting your own, learn more about how to organize a local node and read our local nodes zine that was created to support and give guidance to local nodes. (much of it applies also to Working Groups)
Paid opportunities
USC is hiring an Assistant Professor in Social Design
The African American Policy Forum is seeking a graphic designer
Visionary Organizing Lab is seeking social media support
Northwestern University is hiring Human-centered design faculty
Algorithmic Justice League is hiring:
ActBlue is hiring for a number of roles
Women Transforming Cities is looking for a designer/facilitator
Hypha Worker Co-operative is looking for a Technical product manager
Assistant or Associate Professor of Strategic Design & Management, Parsons School of Design (college of the New School)
Volunteer opportunities
Other opportunities
Submit an expression of interest to the Just Tech Fellowship: A full-time paid research fellowship practitioners to identify and challenge injustices emerging from new technologies and identify solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights. Deadline is 2 January 2022.
Donate to riseup: Riseup provides worldwide services to activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and… us! We use riseup to send this newsletter to you!
What we’re sharing
Here are some inspiration and resources we are sharing in and around the network.
PUBLIC PRACTICE’s #BlackInThePublicSector monthly interview series spotlighting Black practitioners working across disciplines in local and national government.
Join The Consentful Tech Project for the launch of the #ConsentfulTech curriculum on Tues. Dec. 7 starting at 12pm ET on Twitter with @and_also_too, @detcommtech, and @data4blacklives
Japan's "Future Design" movement shows how to factor future generations into our politics.