Since 1981, the Coalition for Justice has sought to bring together groups and individuals in the New River Valley and beyond to nurture a grassroots movement for positive social change. Although CFJ was formed in response to the Reagan administration's support for the Nicaragua government's violent repression of progressive movements, we have come to take an intersectional approach and see that we are part of a larger human rights community where all people's struggles for peace, justice, and dignity must be observed and supported.

 

Any form of oppression cannot be viewed in isolation because all forms of oppression are connected. Be it classism, cisgenderism, nativism, colonialism, sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.,  all forms of oppression exist at a cultural and institutional level and are connected by a common root: economic power and institutional control over people, animals, and the land. The control over resources, knowledge, power, wealth, force, and status is what connects all forms of oppression, and the results are devastating. in order to successfully work against oppression, it is important to understand this interconnectivity. We are an organization that not only upholds the empowerment of people, the protection of the environment, and respect for cultural differences but is also committed to the struggle against all forms of oppression. We do so in solidarity with other volunteer and grassroots organizations through education, community involvement, and action.

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The Coalition's working committees have changed throughout the years, but our mission to engage and empower continues.

Our Prisoner Rights Committee works directly with incarcerated people. In a system with an over-reliance on prisons and jails and the harm they produce, we hear hundreds of stories of people in crisis and work to ensure that their rights are observed. As part of the restorative justice movement, we address these interpersonal harms but also work to promote justice, accountability, and resolution. Our monthly newsletter, which goes to every state prison in Virginia, provides much-needed information on legislation and serves as a platform for people in prison to be heard through their poetry and reflections. From there, we went on to produce the bi-annual journal “Unlocked: Art and Experiences Inside Virginia’s Prisons.” in collaboration with the Virginia Tech Center For Humanities. With this project, we seek to amplify the voices of the incarcerated in our state through their poems, spoken word, personal reflections, and artwork. In doing so, we not only lift the concerns and creativity of those behind bars but also provide a healing space where imagination and talent serve to restore and empower.  

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Our Worker Rights Committee allies with union organizers and worker justice organizations across the state to empower workers as part of the movement to build collective worker power. We work to educate and build solidarity to strengthen our communities and build support for working people.
 

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