PJALS (Peace and Justice Action League)

From Spokane Wiki

Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane (PJALS)

Website: pjals.org

Founded: 1975

Location: 35 W Main Ave, Suite 120M, Spokane, WA 99201

Contact: pjals@pjals.org | (509) 838-7870

Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Mission

PJALS engages everyday people to build a just and nonviolent world through community organizing and leadership development. We believe that everyday people can accomplish extraordinary things together.

Vision

Our vision is a community where everyday people advance peace, racial equity, economic justice, and human rights through campaigns grounded in the intersections of these values.

Values and Commitments

PJALS is committed to:

  • Using an intersectional racial equity lens in all our work.
  • Honoring diverse life experiences and working collaboratively.
  • Centering leadership of those directly impacted by the issues we address.
  • Building a cross-racial, intergenerational, all-gender, rural-urban, bottom-up movement.

Programs and Committees

Young Activist Leaders Program (YALP)

A leadership development program that empowers young people who value equality, human rights, and peace to explore social justice together. Participants engage in workshops covering topics like campaign planning, public speaking, and nonviolence.

Building Organizing Leadership Development (BOLD)

An initiative to build grassroots power by addressing racism and economic injustice in Spokane County. BOLD offers cohorts and workshops in partnership with organizations like SCAR, HBPA, APIC, and Spectrum Center Spokane.

Peace and Justice Action Committee

Focuses on opposing militarism and promoting peace and human rights. The committee meets monthly to strategize and take action against the impacts of war and militarization.

Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Committee

Works to educate white people about their role in dismantling white supremacy and supports campaigns led by communities oppressed by racism. Currently undergoing restructuring to better serve its mission.

Issues We Work On

  • **Ending Mass Incarceration**: Advocating for alternatives to incarceration and addressing systemic racism in the criminal justice system.
  • **Countering White Nationalism**: Building an informed, active, explicitly anti-racist culture within Spokane.
  • **Peace and Anti-Militarism**: Opposing excessive military spending and its impact on local and national economies.
  • **Immigration Justice**: Supporting immigrant communities and advocating for comprehensive immigration reform.

Get Involved

  • **Join PJALS**: Become a member and help set organizational priorities. Join here
  • **Volunteer**: Offer your skills and time to support PJALS' mission.
  • **Donate**: Support the work financially. Donate here
  • **Attend Events**: Participate in workshops, conferences, and actions.

History

Since 1975, PJALS has been active in promoting social, political, and economic change through grassroots community organizing, nonviolence training, volunteer involvement, education, and advocacy. Highlights include:

  • Supporting Native American political prisoners and conscientious objectors in the 1970s and 1980s.
  • Establishing Spokane’s first fair trade store in the 1990s.
  • Leading opposition to US military actions in the 2000s.
  • Launching the Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) committee and participating in the Poor People’s Campaign in the 2010s.
  • Adapting to virtual organizing during the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing to address white nationalism and systemic racism in the 2020s.

Community Agreements

PJALS community members commit to:

  • Respecting diverse perspectives and experiences.
  • Engaging in anti-oppression practices.
  • Supporting each other through active listening and shared learning.
  • Being curious and challenging assumptions.
  • Making conscious choices and evaluating experiences collectively.
  • Focusing discussions and making clear agreements about roles and actions.

Land Acknowledgment

PJALS acknowledges that its offices and gathering places are on unceded Indigenous land, specifically the traditional lands of the Spokane People and other Interior Salish peoples. PJALS commits to centering the voices, leadership, and solutions of Indigenous people in its work.

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