Social Justice Leadership (SJL) was a left-of-center political organization that existed to train and mobilize activists throughout the United States. Its website was shut down some time after February 2014 and the organization stated that it merged with the Center for Progressive Leadership in February 2012. ¹

Background

The left-of-center political organization known as Social Justice Leadership (SJL) announced in February 2012 that it was merging with the Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL). The purpose of the merger was to combine SJL’s ability to train social justice organizations with CPL’s track record in advising left-of-center politicians. ¹

SJL aimed to create other political organizations “led by those most affected by injustice,” a list which they said includes “poor and working class people, people of color, and other disenfranchised communities.” These organizations would then join collaborations with other groups to “transform people, the material conditions in which they live, and ultimately the structure of society.” ²

Activities

Social Justice Leadership (SJL) existed to train and mobilize left-wing activists through a series of programs, which it referred to as “transformative organizing.” The programs included the National Domestic Workers Alliance Sol Initiative, a “movement-building coalition” with National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Generative Somatics; NY Transformative Organizing Institute, which trained social justice activists in New York City; and the Florida Transformative Organizing Initiative (TOI), an activist leadership training program developed in tandem with Florida New Majority (which later changed its name to New Florida Majority). ¹

1. “Social Justice Leadership.” Social Justice Leadership. Accessed May 5, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20140211043732/https://sojustlead.org/.
2. “Social Justice Leadership (SJL).” Idealist.org. Accessed May 5, 2024. https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/8c6ae662a7f444c08b535a548070c0e8-social-justice-leadership-sjl-new-york