Action Blast: September 4, 2026
💥 TAKE ACTION TODAY 💥
💧 Get Ready for River Run! 💧
Get Ready for River Run, and join us at Grange Park at 12pm on September 23!
Time to get creative! Please join us to make art for River Run that sends Grassy’s message loud and clear!
🗓️ September 10 from 6-8pm and September 19 from 1-4pm.
📍 Greenpeace, 33 Cecil St., Toronto, ON M5T 1N1 (There will be a phone number posted on the door for entry, please text or call upon arrival.)
♿ There is a ramp into the building and an elevator to the basement, an air purifier will be used, and there are gender neutral washrooms.
On September 21, join Running the Risk and Artists for Climate & Migrant Justice and Indigenous Sovereignty for an evening of wheatpasting to spread the word about River Run. This is a direct way that you can support Grassy in their continued fight, and learn how to effectively wheatpaste!
Are you coming to River Run from outside Toronto? Find a bus near you.
We are still looking for marshals and other volunteers to help make River Run a success — see the full list of volunteer roles and sign up here!
🍎 Back to School Mutual Aid 🍎
Support kids with back to school needs!
This fall, support 27 children facing huge barriers to a successful return to school. These little ones are either unhoused/in the shelter system, mourning the loss of parent, refugees starting school in Canada for the first time, have an incarcerated parent or living in poverty.
Access the details of each child's wishes here and claim a kiddo or specific item, or send items from the Amazon wishlist.
📚 More Actions and Resources 💻
This is where we link to external content we found interesting, challenging, or thought-provoking this month. Our movements are stronger when we listen to, learn from, and collaborate with folks whose perspectives and approaches are different from ours. Inclusion here does not imply endorsement.
Act:
International students from Portage College were already protesting unfair changes to the rules affecting their post-graduation work permits. In mid-July they set up a round-the-clock protest. On August 12, Calgary Police called the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to it. Ten protesters were issued removal orders that same day. Sign the petition to demand justice instead of immigration enforcement, donate to support the students, and on September 20join people across the country taking action to demand status for all and an end to exploitation and deportations.
Back to school means back to basics. #IndigoKillsKids is an ongoing campaign calling for a boycott of Indigo Books on account that Heather, the CEO, uses her profits to donate to israeli lone soldiers.
Attend:
September 5
People’s Fair - workshops, performances, market, fundraiser
Families 4 Palestine Pop-Up Market - family gathering & fundraiser
September 11
TMU Pwaaganigaawin - pow wow
Seeds for Liberation - film screening & fundraiser
September 12
Toronto Disability Pride March - speeches, march, food, live music
The Many vs the Money - counter-summit & demo
September 14
September 16
Liberation for Littles - workshop (virtual)
September 20 - November 8 (weekly)
Understanding Capitalism - 7 week course
Read:
Activism Skills & Resources
How to have uncomfortable conversations: We cannot build an abolitionist future using the communication habits we’ve inherited from punitive systems. If our conversations are driven by punishment, certainty and exclusion, we risk recreating the very dynamics we’re trying to dismantle. Abolition invites us to practise something different: curiosity, accountability, relationship and the belief that people can change.
Nervous system tools for the revolution: A nervous system that responds to oppression with rage is not dysregulated. It is responding appropriately to the context. The goal is not to become calm in the face of injustice. The work is learning how to carry your fire without letting it consume you.
Signal handbook for activists: You might have heard about cases of Signal messages being recovered, even after they have ‘disappeared’ off the app. This has affected activists on trial in both the UK and US. This zine will take you through steps to understand how this could happen, and things you can do to better protect your messages.
When management calls you in for speaking out: For activists, advocates, and truth-tellers who are being silenced — you're not alone. Whether you're raising concerns about racism in healthcare, naming institutional harm, or standing in solidarity with the oppressed, your voice matters. Unfortunately, brave voices like yours are being met with attempts to silence, discipline, or isolate. This tool was created to help you navigate that moment with clarity, composure, and power.
Back to School
Jason Arday’s death has highlighted systemic anti-Black racism in academia and the media. In response, his students and colleagues are sharing the impact he had on their lives, careers, and scholarship: Everything Good About Jason Arday.
The Educators’ Combating Anti-Black Racism Toolkit is a resource developed to help educators understand how Black students experience the Canadian education system, including information about how to improve teaching practices to support Black students and how to engage and work with Black parents to support their children.
Little Justice Leaders shares 8 kids books for the beginning of the school year.
In elementary classrooms, race-related incidents are often a matter of when, not if, and adults’ responses matter; calm, age-appropriate responses help students learn why something is harmful.
Towards Equity: Examining the Challenges Faced by Black and Racialized Pre-service Educators in Ontario highlights the disparity between Ontario’s diverse student population and the predominantly White teaching workforce. The lack of representative educators not only perpetuates systemic inequities but also affects the academic and social experiences of racialized students.
Watch:
Four Black students from the Peel District School Board in Brampton, Ontario, speak out about racism in school, as the province and school board implement anti-racism measures.
Equity consultant Kike Ojo-Thompson explains how systemic discrimination appears in the education system, and how to dismantle it.
Despite repeated recommendations and calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Indigenous education is still not mandated across the country. The New Reality explores the importance of thoughtful and authentic education about and informed by Indigenous people, the role it plays in change, and why it’s needed now more than ever.
Listen:
Four Education Workers from various backgrounds talk about their personal experiences with suppression, weaponized antisemitism and other ways their workplaces are unwelcoming to any displays of humanity towards Palestine: Suppressing Voices in the School Boards.
TDSB Human Library Podcast: TANITIÃ MUNROE - Centering Black LGBTQ+ Students in the Classroom.