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Saima Desai

@desaima.bsky.social
3.3K followers 233 following 26 posts

Indie media forever. ❤️‍🔥 Journalist and editor for @breachmedia.ca. Also at @btlbooks.com, and eternal hypeman of @thegrindto.bsky.social & @briarpatchmag.bsky.social.

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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
A major leader of the global far-right is gearing up to visit Canada this month. For @breachmedia.ca I wrote about the call by @justiceforallcn.bsky.social and 300+ other orgs to stop him from entering the country.
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Negro Frolics @desmondcole.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
After a horrendous civilian massacre in Iran, many in the diaspora have been calling for U.S. intervention and even a return to monarchy In our latest @breachmedia.ca podcast, Donya Ziaee and @smohyeddin.bsky.social break down the right-wing power play for Iran youtu.be/Fm-Uc14FZCk?...
youtu.be
Will Canadians say no to a U.S.-led military intervention in Iran?
YouTube video by The Breach
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Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 19/02/2026
"[P]ower of decentralized organizing." "Scotiabank's latest financial statements show the bank has sold its remaining 165,000 shares in Elbit." "[O]ne of the biggest victories in Canada for the [BDS] movement." #Canada #Gaza #Palestine #Israel #Protest #Genocide #Weapons
breachmedia.ca
A powerful decentralized campaign forced Scotiabank to divest from Israeli arms
A major bank sells its shares in Elbit Systems, in one of Canada's biggest BDS victories to date.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Got to write about the best news of the week: the largest foreign shareholder in Israel’s biggest weapons company has just dumped all its shares. It's a truly historic Canadian BDS victory. breachmedia.ca/major-bds-vi...
breachmedia.ca
A powerful decentralized campaign forced Scotiabank to divest from Israeli arms ⋆ The Breach
A major bank sells its shares in Elbit Systems, in one of Canada’s biggest BDS victories to date
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Xtra @xtramagazine.com · 10/02/2026
As the search for work gets more desperate, queer and trans workers often see the worst sides of work. But they also come with brilliant solutions. @desaima.bsky.social introduces the five stories in On the Clock, written by this year’s Ken Popert Media Fellows
xtramagazine.com
Work is broken. Queer and trans workers could help fix it | Xtra Magazine
The five stories in Xtra’s On the Clock series show queer and trans workers searching for, fighting for and inventing work that’s fair and meaningful
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Tara-Michelle Ziniuk @tmziniuk.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Okay! @desaima.bsky.social and I (but mostly Saima) have been working on a huge project that launched today. Five Canadian early-career BIPOC journalists came together to produce this editorial package on LGBTQ2S+ people and work @xtramagazine.com. xtramagazine.com/series/on-th...
xtramagazine.com
On the Clock | Xtra Magazine
On the Clock features stories written by the 2025-26 Ken Popert Media Fellows about the state of work for queer and trans people in Canada.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
For the past 5 months I've been mentoring 5 brilliant early-career labour journalists at @xtramagazine.com. Today, their articles are published. They tell the stories of queer & trans workers: how we make rent, make meaning, leave the world better than we found it. xtramagazine.com/power/politi...
xtramagazine.com
Work is broken. Queer and trans workers could help fix it | Xtra Magazine
The five stories in Xtra’s On the Clock series show queer and trans workers searching for, fighting for and inventing work that’s fair and meaningful
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Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 06/12/2025
"[J]ust as right-wing governments team up to demonize trans kids, public sector unions, religious minorities, and people who use drugs, the left must come together." "Saskatchewan shows a model for how this might be done." #Saskatchewan #Ontario #Alberta #Canada #Protest #Drugs #Education #Labour
breachmedia.ca
A Prairie alliance of trans advocates and unions should be a national model
Right-wing premiers are using the notwithstanding clause to target trans kids, workers, Muslims, and drug users. Saskatchewan shows how a united front could stop them.
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Negro Frolics @desmondcole.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Trans rights activists have joined forces with labour unions in Saskatchewan to fight anti-trans legislation It's a model that should be employed nationwide to combat laws against vulnerable groups, writes @desaima.bsky.social in our latest for @breachmedia.ca breachmedia.ca/trans-albert...
breachmedia.ca
A Prairie alliance of trans advocates and unions should be a national model ⋆ The Breach
Right-wing premiers are using the notwithstanding clause to target trans kids, workers, Muslims, and drug users. Saskatchewan shows how a united front could stop them
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
My latest for @breachmedia.ca: When Saskatchewan's government brought in anti-trans laws, unions pushed back. Right-wing premiers are using the notwithstanding clause to attack their culture-war punching bags. Solidarity between unions and trans advocates in SK shows how to put up a fight.
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The Grind @thegrindto.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Canadian artists are bracing for cuts as PM Mark Carney signals austerity ahead of Tuesday's federal budget. Arts groups warn that slashing 15% could devastate a sector still recovering from the pandemic, @tombeedham.bsky.social reports. www.thegrindmag.ca/canadian-art...
thegrindmag.ca
Canadian Artists Brace for Austerity: ‘Cuts Will Hurt Everyone’
With ministers instructed to reduce spending, Canada’s arts sector fears a major rollback of promised cultural investments. Advocates say austerity could shutter venues, erase jobs — and silence…
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
New from me in @breachmedia.ca: It's easy to see Ford's war on bike lanes as a personal vendetta and an attempt to stir up a culture war. But more than that, it's part of a bigger pattern of Ford serving corporate interests – from real estate firms to Uber.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
I'm running a paid mentorship program at @xtramagazine.com! I'll be mentoring five early-career BIPOC LGBTQ2S+ journalists to publish a package of writing about work. Mentees will be paid $1,000. Apply by Oct 27 & help me spread the word! #CdnMediaJobs xtramagazine.com/inside-xtra/...
xtramagazine.com
Queers at work: Xtra seeks mentees to contribute to a new editorial package | Xtra Magazine
Applications for Xtra’s mentorship program for early-career BIPOC journalists are open through Oct. 27
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
On Saturday, Sept. 20, an unusual coalition of climate, migrant, and Indigenous groups are getting together to draw a line. They're pushing back against @mark-carney.bsky.social's hard right turn against Indigenous Peoples and migrants. I spoke to organizers about what the road ahead looks like:
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
I want to live in a Toronto that can support a paper like The Grind. Because a city that can sustain local indie media is a city that can be shaped by local indie media. Help The Grind reach our summer fundraising goal!
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Over two thirds of Canadians live in suburbs. And when the left neglects organizing in those suburbs, we give up on reversing the right-wing tide across Canada. Aniket Kali and I talked to the organizers in the GTA who are working to turn the tide:
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
@btlbooks.com is halfway to their goal of funding a new graphic novel on the history of anti-fascism. I don't need to tell you how important it is to bring the lessons of anti-fascist resistance into the present right now. Pitch in to help BTL publish! www.kickstarter.com/projects/139...
kickstarter.com
PARTISANS: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance
Eleven new graphic histories by legendary & emerging creators flipping the script on anti-Nazi and anti-fascist resistance.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
The Grind is doing a food issue! Pitch us stories about the GTA's best roti, the food truck turf wars, the working conditions at your favourite restaurant, etc. Pitches due April 25 – but sooner is better.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
I had the great honour (and great fun) of judging features for @canadamediaawards.bsky.social this year. Keep an eye out for nominations soon. 👀
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Henrik Bechmann (Toronto) 🇨🇦 @henrikbechmann.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
"The device, which reads the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air, showed CO2 levels as high as 3,500 parts per million (ppm) in his classroom." That's insane.
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Canada Healthwatch 🍁 @canadahealthwatch.ca · 05/04/2025
Crowded classrooms mean kids are breathing in viruses and pollution. Parents are trying to make the air safer, but hitting roadblocks. www.thegrindmag.ca/airborne-dan... @desaima.bsky.social @theingredientslist.bsky.social @mjnabuurs.bsky.social 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter 🍁
The air quality monitor Heather Pun’s son takes to his school.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
When kids are living with pandemics, wildfires, and pollution, filtering the air in their schools is a simple fix. So why is it such an uphill battle in Toronto? In the newest issue of @thegrindto.bsky.social I wrote about the parents fighting for clean air in Toronto classrooms:
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The Grind @thegrindto.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
SPECIAL ISSUE ANNOUNCEMENT Doug Ford called a snap election, so we're publishing an issue about his seven-year reign, out free in print in two weeks. We need $5,000 to make it happen. Chip in by: - E-transfer info[at]thegrindmag[dot]ca - Credit card: buy.stripe.com/6oE02D00TgZ4...
Photo of Doug Ford sitting down, signing a piece of paper in a binder. The colours are altered so everything is blue and black except Doug who is might brighter and whiter.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
"Mainstream news [...] began to capitulate before he even took office." My brilliant @truthout.org colleagues @mayaschenwar.bsky.social, @neginowl.bsky.social, & @ziggywest.bsky.social on the urgent need for combative, principled movement media under a Trump presidency: truthout.org/articles/a-c...
truthout.org
A Call to Media Organizations: Don’t Back Down in the Face of Trump’s Threats
Trump’s attacks on press freedom aren’t separate from his attacks on oppressed communities. We must resist them all.
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Shozab Raza @shozabraza.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
The Hindutva-Conservative alliance in Canada: "you help us dictate the terms of Hindu nationalist education, and we’ll help you dictate the terms of gender and sexual identity education." @desaima.bsky.social and Aniket Kali for @thebreach.bsky.social #canpoli buff.ly/4hbidWq
buff.ly
Inside the Conservative Party’s growing alliance with right-wing Hindu groups ⋆ The Breach
Hindu organizations are springing up in Canada, often parroting Conservative talking points about crime, cost of living, and anti-LGBTQ politics
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
NEW: Aniket Kali and I dig into the growing alliance between Hindu nationalists and the Conservative Party of Canada. The CPC has won over a majority of Hindu voters, with help from right-wing Hindu groups. If the CPC is elected, these groups want Hindu nationalist policy in return. #canpoli
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Heba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Written by my sister @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social Has the fire ceased? Have the leaders of institutions that sanctioned our slaughter repented? Have the weapons manufacturers been seized? Have the halls of power been turned over to the masses? inthesetimes.com/article/isra...
inthesetimes.com
Has the Fire Ceased?
We will not stop until Palestine is free.
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Negin Owliaei @neginowl.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Please, please read Shahad Ali writing from Gaza in @truthout.org today on "plans - tiny hopeful plans" she made for her life post-ceasefire. "There was a quiet understanding that this ceasefire, though temporary, had given us something priceless — a moment to reconnect with what had been lost."
truthout.org
In Gaza, Ceasefire Will Be a Chance to Finally Breathe
No longer fearing constant bombing, I can begin to mourn all I have lost in Gaza.
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Eman Abdelhadi @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
All eyes on Gaza. The ceasefire agreement doesn’t begin for 72 hours and Israel is on a killing spree.
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Truthout @truthout.org · 07/01/2025
As the U.S. declares that Sudan’s RSF have committed genocide during the country’s ongoing civil war, this episode of Movement Memos unpacks what the world is missing about Sudan’s struggle. “This war is not a civil war, it’s a war of military elites against the entire civilian population.”
truthout.org
Breaking Down Sudan’s Struggle: What the World Is Missing
“This war is not a civil war, it’s a counterrevolutionary war against civilians,” says Sudanese organizer Nisrin Elamin.
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Truthout @truthout.org · 17/12/2024
Despite the fact that Seattle is home to 11 billionaires and 54,200 millionaires, the city had planned to close up to 21 schools due to massive budget shortfall.
truthout.org
Seattle Planned to Close Up to 21 Public Schools — Here’s How We Stopped Them
A grassroots push from parents, students and teachers blocked the closures. Here is our blueprint for resistance.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Love this argument by @freepress.bsky.social's Alex Frandsen in @truthout.org for building up local media as part of our movements' plans to confront authoritarianism – "both to protect people in the short term and to rebuild our democracy over the long haul," he writes. truthout.org/articles/wit...
truthout.org
Without Transformative Local Media, Our Communities Are Vulnerable
We need to break the billionaires’ grip on our democracy — and that starts with loosening their hold over local media.
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Negin Owliaei @neginowl.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
A little biased, but I think the work Truthout is doing in this moment is so crucial, and we have lots planned for Trump's day one - and all of the days after that. I'm so proud of what our small and mighty independent newsroom offers each day but we definitely can't do it alone!
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Ziggy West @ziggywest.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
Some of the fundraising language we use at Truthout is easy to gloss over but it's actually pretty remarkable -- we're nonprofit, union, have no ads, no paywall and we're primarily funded by small donations. It's a hell of a business model but we need an urgent boost to take it further in 2025.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Truthout is running our most important fundraiser of the year, which will decide the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We're preparing to cover Trump's blizzard of executive orders, while defending Truthout against his coming assault on progressive media. You can be part of our work. ⤵️
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Maya Schenwar @mayaschenwar.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
The new issue of Stateville Speaks, the newspaper by & for incarcerated people in Illinois, is online! This issue focuses on IL's project of closing prisons--and building "state of the art" prisons to replace them, expanding & entrenching structural injustice. static1.squarespace.com/static/670d6...
In this issue: Responding to il prison closures Announcing the 2024 stateville speaks awards! pg. 10 Voices from the inside • Main article: Our Future Generations Deserve Abundance, Not “State of the Art” Prisons BY I.B. PEACEFUL This essay is a winner of Truthout’s 2024 Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. I felt it birth in my core and sneak its way up my windpipe. It slithered over my vocal cords and caught in my throat just for a second. It escaped my clenched teeth and forced its way through my tightly pursed lips before finding its place in my unwelcoming ears – “numb.” This was my body’s reaction to Acting Illinois Department of Corrections Director Latoya Hughes’s March 15, 2024 memo to all individuals in custody in Illinois. During the past 33 years of my incarceration, I have received hundreds of Department memos. I ignore or throw out most of them, but this one was different. Earlier in the day, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker had made an announcement that the state would be closing two of its aging and deteriorating correctional spent any amount of time in these facilities, the words “aging” and “deteriorating” are gross understatements. Pritzker later stated, “Unfortunately over many years, the state has neglected to do anything about the conditions in these prisons… We’re stepping up and actually making a proposal and putting money forward to do the right thing.” My initial reaction was: thank you. We’ll all be able to have our blood tested for lead levels. The vermin, roaches and birds that infest the kitchen, dining halls and living units will be exterminated. Then the other shoe dropped. The governor shared his plan to not only demolish these facilities, but to then spend close to $1 billion dollars in taxpayer money to rebuild both facilities. My body and brain reacted. They were rejecting this news on a visceral level and I couldn’t intelligently or verbally articulate my feelings. Numb.
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Ziggy West @ziggywest.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Bluesky vs. Facebook vs. X I’ve seen some good posts recently about the engagement on Bluesky vs other platforms and wanted to add some data from Truthout’s pages to the conversation. Please take a moment to repost and help us spread the word about how truly nightmarish Facebook and X are.
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Saima Desai @desaima.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Hi friends! I've joined the exodus (X-odus?) and will be here on Bluesky posting about indie media, media literacy, left-wing politics, and the like. And, of course, about our work at @truthout.org – which is growing more complex, high-stakes, and essential by the day.
truthout.org
Truthout | Fearless Independent News & Analysis
Explore progressive perspectives and stay informed on social justice, activism, and politics at Truthout.org. Uncover truth, spark change.
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