Solidarity Ignite (often stylized as ¡Si!) is a labor and consumer organizing initiative that seeks to pressure corporations to uphold what it views to be human rights by shifting market incentives across entire industries. ^{1  2} The group has connections to the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), a Catholic organization dedicated to faith-based social education and action. Solidarity Ignite recruits student activists at Catholic and Jesuit college campuses. ³

The group promotes increased transparency between consumers and workers, particularly those in low-wage or union jobs, through speaking tours, delegation trips, and virtual conversations. While the group promotes purchasing union-made products, it also mobilizes campaigns aimed at financially penalizing companies that do not meet its labor standards. The project operates as a fiscally sponsored initiative of the left-of-center Alliance for Global Justice. ¹ The group is also connected to Union Migrante and the ACLU of Louisiana. ⁴

Campaigns

Solidarity Ignite campaigns include Alta Gracia, a collegiate apparel factory in the Dominican Republic which serves as its model for ethical labor practices. Workers there earn over three times the local minimum and are represented by a union. The factory is monitored by the Worker Rights Consortium to ensure fair conditions. The initiative grew from student-worker solidarity campaigns aimed at ending sweatshop abuses through university licensing pressure. ⁵

Under its Uphold the Integrity of Fair Trade campaign, Solidarity Ignite has criticized the Fair Trade certification system, arguing that it prioritizes corporate profit and consumer image over genuine support for small farmers and producers. The group challenges major certifiers like Fair Trade USA for diluting standards, promoting charity over solidarity, and undermining worker-led efforts. Instead, Solidarity Ignite advocates for a farmer- and worker-led model of accountability and trade justice. ⁶

Solidarity Ignite has also criticized international trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). ⁷

Financials

Solidarity Ignite is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for Global Justice. Alliance for Global Justice is an organizing nonprofit that is fiscal sponsor to left-wing initiatives.  ⁸ In 2024, the Alliance for Global Justice reported total revenue of $6,707,856 and total expenses of $8,818,230, resulting in a deficit of $2,110,374. Most of its income came from contributions, which totaled $6,428,828 and accounted for 95.8 percent of revenue. ⁹

People

Cynthia Chavez was a former assistant director of Solidarity Ignite, from 2014 to 2015, in the Dominican Republic. ¹⁰

Joanna Maxwell was a former international organizer for Solidarity Ignite, from 2011 to 2015, based out of Arizona, working to promote the group on college campuses and holding workshops on sweatshop labor conditions in the Dominican Republic. ¹¹

1. Solidarity Ignite. “Our Mission.” Solidarity Ignite. Archived December 4, 2016. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20161204043158/http://solidarityignite.org/ourmission.html.
2. Project on Lived Theology. “Organization Spotlight: Solidarity Ignite.” The Project on Lived Theology. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.livedtheology.org/organization-spotlight-solidarity-ignite/.
3. Solidarity Ignite. Facebook. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/solidarityignite/.
4. ACLU of Louisiana. “Supporting Our Community Post-Ida.” ACLU of Louisiana. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.laaclu.org/en/news/supporting-our-community-post-ida.
5. Solidarity Ignite. “Alta Gracia.” Solidarity Ignite. Archived December 4, 2016. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20161204040348/http://solidarityignite.org/altagracia.html.
6. Solidarity Ignite. “Uphold the Integrity of Fair Trade.” Solidarity Ignite (archived). Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20161204040009/http://solidarityignite.org/uphold.html.
7. Solidarity Ignite. “Debunk Free Trade.” Solidarity Ignite (archived). Accessed July 7, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20161204043205/http://solidarityignite.org/freetrade.html.
8. Alliance for Global Justice. “Fiscal Sponsorship Program.” Accessed July 6, 2025. https://afgj.org/fsp
9. ProPublica. “Alliance for Global Justice.” Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed July 6, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/522094677.
10. LinkedIn. “Cynthia Chavez – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-chavez-536206132/details/experience/?locale=es_ES.
11. LinkedIn. “Joanna Maxwell – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-maxwell-5b7bb4149/details/experience/.