Interviewees Wanted: Solidarity, 1983
(Photo: Solidarity rally at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, August 1983: Simon Fraser University Pacific Tribune Collection)
Were you or someone you know involved in the Solidarity Movement of 1983?
Do you have stories to share about your experiences? Consider commemorating your participation by sharing these stories in a recorded oral history interview.
Interviews conducted will be used for education and research, including publications, and will be archived. For further details, contact [email protected]
2018 marks 35 years since the Solidarity Movement of 1983: the largest political protest in British Columbia’s history. Labour and community activist organizations across the province, including unions, environmental, religious, social justice, women’s rights groups and many more, came together over the course of several weeks through escalating actions in what would eventually become the largest action of its kind in BC history. The protests were a response to a series of 26 bills introduced by the Social Credit Party, led by Premier Bill Bennett, which slashed core social and labour rights, including major cutbacks to public services – sparking multiple resistance campaigns (Operation Solidarity & The Solidarity Coalition).
35 years later, we can look back at this event and the controversy around it, which shaped many activists and demonstrated the power that solidarity can provide when communities stand shoulder to shoulder against injustice. Many of the community and labour leaders have passed away, making this project a priority while participants remain to tell their part of the story.
(Photo: Solidarity rally at Legislature in Victoria, July 1983: Simon Fraser University Pacific Tribune Collection)
