Social (in)justice and labour unions – Lindsay & Abdullah interview Leah
In this episode of Getting Reflective, Lindsay welcomes Abdullah Mushtaq (he/him) into a co-hosting role, and together they interview their friend and colleague, Leah (she/her), an activist with strong roots organizing within communities and labour unions, both in Canada and the United States. Together, they spoke about Leah’s earliest memories of social (in)justice, and the modern realities of unions. This included the processes of trying to balance negotiating contracts vs campaigning for broader equity.
Abdullah adds another layer of perspective to the conversation, having been raised in Michigan during his childhood, and being introduced to the University of Michigan by his father, who has worked his career there.
As always, Lindsay concludes the episode by asking Leah about something that she’s working on unlearning at the moment. Leah discusses her process of unlearning the idea that it’s lazy to rest your mind and body, which is a challenge that’s often prevalent amongst community organizers, union representatives, and activists in general.