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As part of Systemic Justice's fifth anniversary celebration on 29 June, our Founder, Nani Jansen Reventlow, reflected on five years of building the organisation, the meaning of collective leadership, and why our work has always been about following the lead of the communities we serve.

On 29 June, at Systemic Justice's fifth-anniversary celebration, Executive Director Saranel Benjamin reflected on stepping into leadership, the importance of a carefully designed leadership transition, and the responsibility of building on the foundations laid over the organisation's first five years.

At our spring retreat, we took some time to reflect on the findings from the strategic reflection process – engaging with what has worked well and the areas in our work that need some strengthening.

Onnie Emerenciana is a farmer from Bonaire, a Caribbean island and Dutch special municipality. For years, he watched climate change destroy his crops while the Dutch government did little to nothing to protect the island from rising heat and sea levels. Onnie and seven other Bonaire residents – supported by Greenpeace Netherlands – took the government to court. In January 2026, they won.

On 10 March, the International Day of Women Judges, we celebrate the women shaping justice systems around the world. One of them is Domenica Ghidei Biidu – a long-time deputy judge in the Netherlands, former Human Rights Commissioner at the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, Vice Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, and a member of the Systemic Justice’s Supervisory Board.

It’s the 100th anniversary of Black History Month in the US. It’s also Black History Month in some European countries. As we think of the colossal gains made by the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the enduring racism that blights the lives of Black communities, I’d like to highlight the seminal case of Floyd and others v the City of New York.

Whenever we enter a new year, we tend to make resolutions, set new goals, and reassess our values – all in the pursuit of a fresh new start that can infuse our lives with a bit of hope and positivity. This year, and over the last two years or more, talking about hope has become a lot harder against a backdrop of a world being burnt to the ground by elites.   

When Saranel Benjamin stepped into the role of the Executive Director at Systemic Justice, she brought with her a lifetime of decolonial activism, shaped by the lived experience in South Africa’s apartheid, leadership roles at Mama Cash and Oxfam GB, and a deep belief in the power of communities to create systemic change. We sat down to talk about her vision for the future of Systemic Justice, what justice means to her, and what keeps her hopeful.

This year’s autumn retreat gave us the space to reconnect, meet each other in person, and come together during an important phase of transition at Systemic Justice. 

Susheela Math joined Systemic Justice in July 2025 as its new Head of Legal. In this article, Susheela discusses her own path and values, the driving force of her career and her experience of whistleblowing and racial justice strategic litigation and advocacy efforts across Europe.