Sarah Jama, an activist and McMaster graduate, is the NDP candidate for Hamilton Centre seat in the Mar. 16 byelection
McMaster University graduate Sarah Jama continues to make waves within the Hamilton political sphere. Most recently, Jama’s extensive activism, community engagement and involvement in Hamilton politics have led her to be acclaimed as the Ontario NDP candidate for Hamilton Centre seat.
The Hamilton Centre seat became vacant in Jul. 2022, when Andrea Horwath stepped down from her MPP position to run for mayor of Hamilton. Jama ran and was confirmed as the NDP candidate in Nov. 2022. The byelection to fill the Hamilton Centre seat will take place on Mar. 16.
Jama explained that her experience with politics and advocacy began at McMaster, when a required lecture was being held in a wheelchair-inaccessible lecture hall.
“There was a sign on the door saying this lecture has moved to [Burke Science Building]. Half the class went to BSB, but he continued to lecture in the inaccessible room because he was like, I've taught for years here and I'm not going to switch just because you need to take a different class … So, I got upset and I was like, you know what? I'm going to try to see if I can get involved,” said Jama.
There was a sign on the door saying this lecture has moved to [Burke Science Building]. Half the class went to BSB, but he continued to lecture in the inaccessible room because he was like, I've taught for years here and I'm not going to switch just because you need to take a different class … So, I got upset and I was like, you know what? I'm going to try to see if I can get involved.
Sarah Jama
Jama’s struggle to obtain proper accessibility requirements to attend her lecture prompted her to get involved with the Student Representative Assembly.
Along with the SRA, Jama joined several clubs and organizations dealing with advocacy and policy on campus. Jama was a student representative for the President’s Advisory Committee on Building an Inclusive Community, a member of the McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alliance, the president of McMaster Womanists and an orientation and transition assistant.
“While I was learning about structures in terms of how to influence change internally, by way of bylaw or policy (which was messed up because even after I got onto the SRA, it was the case that many people didn't look like me or care about the issues I wanted to talk about), I was also learning about organizing outside of systems by joining as many clubs as I could on campus,” said Jama
While I was learning about structures in terms of how to influence change internally, by way of bylaw or policy (which was messed up because even after I got onto the SRA, it was the case that many people didn't look like me or care about the issues I wanted to talk about), I was also learning about organizing outside of systems by joining as many clubs as I could on campus
Sarah Jama
After her time at McMaster, Jama became the lead organizer and co-founder of Disability Justice Network of Ontario. Her lived experience with cerebral palsy has provided her with perspective on the challenges faced by the disabled community in Ontario.
Jama’s other recent work includes rallying against urban sprawl, picketing for underpaid and overworked health care workers and advocating against the expansion of Canada’s Medically Assisting people in their Deaths program.
Throughout Jama’s extensive community and political work, she has maintained a connection with McMaster through volunteer initiatives and as a sessional instructor for INSPIRE 3II3, Intro to Disability Justice, this past spring.
Despite political achievements outside of her time at McMaster, Jama emphasized the power and responsibility that students have in inciting change. The housing crisis, investment into the HSR and the nuisance bylaw have all been major issues within Hamilton’s political sphere that directly affect students.
“Students have the ability to, on a broader scale, influence politics and policy in the city and build the city that we want to see, but we're made to feel as though we don't belong in the city, or that it's not ours. Millions of dollars get paid into the HSR by MSU students. We have a lot of political capital and ability to organize and talk about issues that impact us,” said Jama.
During the Silhouette’s discussion with Jama, she explained that students should seize the opportunity to enact change and reformation while still on campus. Jama explained that she sees campus as a microcosm of society and that its small-scale makes it an ideal environment for students to get a feel for policy and advocacy before entering the professional world.
“Whether it's protesting or getting involved in policy, you lose very little by developing those skills on campus. Whereas people who are outside of campus, sometimes with a lot less privilege and access to these spaces or resources, can face way more repercussions,” said Jama.
As previously stated, the Hamilton Centre byelection is taking place on Mar. 16, 2023. More information can be found at Elections Ontario.
By Donna Nadeem, Staff Writer
With over 11,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic is exposing the cracks in an unjust system, leaving the most vulnerable at risk. Given the lack of paid sick days, many workers have to choose between going to work and risking contracting the virus, or staying home and losing income. Individuals experiencing homelessness and those facing precarious housing are at a greater risk of harm.
Networks of volunteers have come together over Facebook groups dedicated to “Caremongering”. These groups establish networks to prioritize the needs of people who are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, including those at a higher risk of health complications due to the virus, people experiencing homelessness and front-line workers. The groups aim to organize and share community resources in order to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to food, healthcare and other necessities.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-2yeAkneqQ/
The CareMongering-HamOnt Facebook group was created on March 13; at the time, there were 79 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario. The group has over 6,000 members, an email and a phone line for general inquiries or calls for support. Members can also post in the Facebook group to ask for support or share opportunities that could help community members.
The Facebook group relies on a dedicated team of volunteers who make deliveries, put up flyers, provide emotional support and grocery shop for others. People from all over the Hamilton community are offering medical supplies and food, and are updating the group on stores that have restocked or have food and supplies that others may need. A network of volunteers delivers supplies to those who are more vulnerable.
As a part of the Facebook group’s work, the Hamilton Students Mobilization Network and the Disability Justice Network of Ontario put together packages of food and other necessities, which volunteers then pick up from the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion and deliver via a sanitized pick up and drop off procedure.
When the group first began, all requests and offers of support were made directly on the Facebook page. Hashtags were used to distinguish between requests, offers for support and information about resources, news and stores.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-nQ2RlnzhZ/
Now, as the Facebook group has grown, people are being asked to make requests through a centralized system via Google Forms, which allows the organizers to oversee the process to ensure that sanitation protocols are maintained. Initially, the group accepted physical donations to the office, but are now asking people to make financial donations to care@djno.ca.
Around the world, people are coping with preexisting health conditions, some are dealing with sudden job losses and others are struggling to stay safe while working on the front lines of a pandemic. Now more than ever, we must strengthen our community networks in order to share resources, and look out for one another’s safety.
The Caremongering movement is about far more than promoting acts of kindness among neighbours. It is also about addressing inequality and injustice that the government has not been able to address.
“We understand that this pandemic is part of a broader crisis in capitalism that has and will continue to evolve into economic recession, increases in incarceration and policing, further resource extraction and other issues related to environmental disaster and colonialism,” states a post from the group admin. “So we use this time to reflect on our consumption and place in a chain of supply/demand, on what surviving means, on taking what we need and leaving for the future, and on community care and mutual aid, and we take this time to calibrate, because things can and will get worse.”
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