About

What is the Design Justice Network
and what do its “nodes” do?

The Design Justice Network is a home for people who are committed to embodying and practicing the Design Justice Network Principles. It is a sponsored project of the Allied Media Projects.  

Nodes are a key part of a thriving network. Just as in botany, where a node is the part of a plant stem where new leaves emerge, a local node within the Design Justice Network is a space for local members to gather and grow design justice-related projects, ideas, processes, and community. DJN local nodes are generally volunteer-run and community-based, and both nodes and members work to be accountable to the communities they serve through the practice of design justice network principles.

Node History

Design Justice Portland was launched in January 2023 by Gaby Tirta and Aria Joughin with the hope of finding and building a local community around the Design Justice Network principles.

During the first two events, we asked “In what ways could a local Design Justice community support your work in the world?” What we heard fell into roughly three categories: 

Social Connection & Collective Healing Space

We heard a craving for more casual spaces for connection and commiseration, especially across disciplines. You asked for more socials, happy hours, picnics and potlucks as well as opportunities to get out into the world together for design-focused talks or walks. We also heard a need for dedicated spaces for healing and restoration in the face of the all-too-familiar burnout. 

Education & Exploration

We heard an interest in spaces for learning more about the Design Justice principles (and related topics), especially how they have or might be applied in different disciplines. We heard requests for a variety of learning modalities include panels, discussions, workshops, book clubs and shareable resources. Some of you proposed reaching further to bring Design Justice into existing educational institutions and curricula.

Matchmaking & Problem Solving

Finally, we heard that you are interested in connecting with new collaborators across disciplines, experiences and interests. We heard numerous requests to facilitate different kinds of matchmaking and support collective problem-solving through things like creating a community directory, pairing pro-bono labor with local initiatives seeking design help, creating a venue to share asks/offers/announcements, and hosting spaces to co-work or co-create accountability. 

We aim to cultivate events and activities that address these needs, while practicing sustainable working habits and self-care.