Sarah Jama
Canadian politician and activist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Jama MPP (born 1994 or 1995)[1] is a Canadian politician and disability justice activist who has served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since March 2023.
Sarah Jama | |
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Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Hamilton Centre | |
Assumed office 16 March 2023 | |
Preceded by | Andrea Horwath |
Personal details | |
Born | 1994/1995 (age 29–30)[1] |
Political party | Independent (2023–present) |
Other political affiliations | New Democratic (2022–2023) |
Residence(s) | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
Alma mater | McMaster University |
Occupation |
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Website | www |
Jama became involved in accessibility advocacy and pro-Palestine advocacy as a student at McMaster University. She later co-founded the Disability Justice Network Ontario in September 2018 and the Hamilton Encampment Support Network in 2021, focusing on affordable housing access.[1] In 2021, Jama was arrested by police in Beasley Park in central Hamilton at a protest against homeless encampment evictions in the city, but the charges against her were dropped.[2]
Sarah Jama was elected as the MPP for Hamilton Centre in March 2023 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP).[3] She replaced Andrea Horwath, who stepped down as MPP to run for the mayor of Hamilton.[3]
On October 10, 2023, shortly after the 2023 Israel-Hamas war began, Jama made a social media post criticising the conflict and calling for an end to the occupation and apartheid.[4] She later apologised for any possible offense to Jewish or Israeli Canadian constituents, but did not retract the post.[4] On October 23, 2023, the NDP removed Jama from of its caucus, with party leader Marit Stiles stating that Jama had taken a "number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of her colleagues."[5] Jama has since served as an independent MPP.