The Rights Collective is a non-hierarchical, progressive space for members of the South Asian community, united by our commitment to the cause of collective liberation. We come together and challenge structural inequalities of caste, class, race, gender and other intersecting identities to create radically inclusive spaces grounded in an ethic of care, compassion and empathy.
Our vision is a future that centers marginalised voices from within the South Asian community, in all its difference, in building a society that is founded on principles of equity, justice, collective leadership, and accountability.
Our mission is to create community spaces that work towards collective liberation and the challenge systems of oppression which perpetuate harm and injustice within our communities. We do this in three ways:
We are not striving to be perfect, and we recognise that, due to our limitations as individuals and a collective, we cannot claim to be inclusive of everyone’s needs and identities all the time. We do, however, want to hold space for vulnerability and love, and hope to nurture human connection in spaces where difference is recognised, respected, and accepted.
It is difficult to find U.K. based collectives tackling South Asian specific problems from an anti-oppressive, abolitionist, transformative justice perspective. We hope to add value to the social justice movement by offering a space where these values are embodied; from our internal team structure to our public community presence.
Although we recognise that our work fits within a much larger landscape of liberatory action and it is all connected, we currently centre four key areas within our work:
Our work is focused in the South Asian diaspora community and we acknowledge the limitations of this label. We use this term to describe those who identify as South Asian or of South Asian descent, including Indo-Caribbean communities, Mauritians and those from the Indian subcontinent. To us, this means Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Nepal and others who consider themselves to be South Asian.
Our vision is a future that centers marginalised voices from within the South Asian community, in all its difference, in building a society that is founded on principles of equity, justice, collective leadership, and accountability.
Our mission is to create community spaces that work towards collective liberation and the challenge systems of oppression which perpetuate harm and injustice within our communities. We do this in three ways:
Political education & knowledge building: Drawing from radical organising practices, we emphasise the need to build political and social consciousness within our communities, as well as sharing this knowledge widely and freely. It works to develop and implement various political education and knowledge building programs for the South Asian community.
Transforming harm: We seek to provide the right care and resources so that we all feel safe when doing this work. It is important to us to create space for joy, taking care of ourselves and healing.
Community building: Working across generations and communities to not only strengthen relationships but also power build locally, as well as grow our community organising branch over time. We works to organise both in-person and virtual initiatives grounded in community practices, co-learning, storytelling, ancestral practices, art, food and more.
Transforming harm: We seek to provide the right care and resources so that we all feel safe when doing this work. It is important to us to create space for joy, taking care of ourselves and healing.
Community building: Working across generations and communities to not only strengthen relationships but also power build locally, as well as grow our community organising branch over time. We works to organise both in-person and virtual initiatives grounded in community practices, co-learning, storytelling, ancestral practices, art, food and more.
We are not striving to be perfect, and we recognise that, due to our limitations as individuals and a collective, we cannot claim to be inclusive of everyone’s needs and identities all the time. We do, however, want to hold space for vulnerability and love, and hope to nurture human connection in spaces where difference is recognised, respected, and accepted.
It is difficult to find U.K. based collectives tackling South Asian specific problems from an anti-oppressive, abolitionist, transformative justice perspective. We hope to add value to the social justice movement by offering a space where these values are embodied; from our internal team structure to our public community presence.
Although we recognise that our work fits within a much larger landscape of liberatory action and it is all connected, we currently centre four key areas within our work:
- Addressing gendered harms and violence
- Exploring community disconnection (intergenerational, inter-community, caste-based etc.)
- Dismantling oppressive identity-based power dynamics (including those that uphold racism, classism, patriarchy etc.)
- Prioritising mental health and healing
Our work is focused in the South Asian diaspora community and we acknowledge the limitations of this label. We use this term to describe those who identify as South Asian or of South Asian descent, including Indo-Caribbean communities, Mauritians and those from the Indian subcontinent. To us, this means Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Nepal and others who consider themselves to be South Asian.
2
Total members