WHO WE ARE

OUR STORY

The Coalition for Social Justice (CSJ) is a grassroots organization founded in 1994 to bring together people affected by and concerned about poverty to advocate for economic opportunity. We have developed a solid leadership core of dedicated activists who first joined the struggle for social justice through CSJ. We have developed a diverse organizing staff who started as volunteers that we met through our work, and who have been directly affected by our issue priorities.

We engage in ongoing outreach to people affected by poverty. This includes door-to-door canvassing to families in public housing developments and low-income neighborhoods outside of public housing. Our public housing and neighborhood outreach is conducted in multiple languages. In addition, we contact thousands of people throughout the community by phone, providing information about issues that affect their lives and organizing them to call their elected officials to have a voice on these issues.

We have played a leading role in campaigns on a wide variety of issues affecting struggling families. On each, we have mobilized our local base in Brockton, Fall River and New Bedford. We have expanded reach into Taunton, Attleboro, Southern Boston and Falmouth as well. CSJ is a founding member and co-chair of Raise Up Massachusetts.

DONATE

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GET INVOLVED

We can always use volunteers. Click below to find out how.

MEET OUR STAFF

Dan Gilbarg

CSJ Board President/ Brockton Volunteer Organizer

Dan Gilbarg is a veteran activist with a rich history of social justice work that dates back to the late 1960s. Together with his colleagues, he co-founded the Coalition for Social Justice, a renowned organization that champions the rights of marginalized individuals and communities. Currently, Dan serves as a Brockton Organizer and grant writer for CSJ, where he continues to make a positive impact in the lives of many.

In 1969, Dan moved to the Fall River-New Bedford area after being hired as a Sociology Professor at Bristol Community College. Over the years, he has taught a popular Race & Race Relations class, inspiring generations of students to become passionate about equality and social justice.

Although he retired in 2012, Dan still teaches part-time and remains committed to promoting social justice causes. He is happily married to Marlene Pollock, and together they have two sons, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Through his tireless activism and dedication to promoting social justice, Dan has become a respected and valued member of his community.

OUR WORK IS BASED

ON THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES:
UNITY

We are committed to building an organization that can bring together activists from varied segments of the community. We seek to unite welfare mothers, senior citizen activists, rank and file union leaders, and community activists in one organization. We recognize that this can be done only on the basis of mutual solidarity and respect. The principle guiding our efforts at building unity is “an injury to one is an injury to all.”

MULTI-ISSUE

We also recognize the need to build a multi-issue organization that can add strength and support to the efforts of organizations that focus primarily on single issues based on the immediate needs of their particular constituency. Working in collaboration with progressive legislators and other social action groups around the state, we have developed a multi-issue agenda we call the “Campaign for Working Families” which offers a vision of social change that addresses such issues as revenue, tax reform, jobs, wages, child care, health care, housing, education, and the safety net. On a yearly basis, our particular issue focus varies, depending on shifting political opportunities.

POWER AT THE GRASSROOTS

Finally, we recognize the need to build a powerful, grassroots peoples’ movement for social change. In all of our work – whether it be building support for the initiatives of our constituent organizations or developing our own independent campaigns – we seek to build the capacity of ordinary people to have an impact on the social policies that affect their lives. Our organizing approach focuses both on developing the commitment and leadership of people new to social activism and on working with existing activists and organizations to enhance their strength and effectiveness. We recognize that the key factor determining our ability to make a difference in the community is the size and community base of our network of grassroots activists.