Celebration of Resistance

Ontario’s Days of Action

Celebration of Resistance tells the story of the public outcry over three years in eleven Ontario cities against the widespread cutbacks in government and social services that came to be known as the “common sense revolution” of the 1990s. In each city, the movement to dislodge the government of the day culminated in the coming together of many sectors in society, from community groups to labour unions, culminating in large-scale, peaceful and meaningful protest. The manifestation of peaceful resistance coalesced in some of the largest gatherings in the history of each city, and usually featured long marches, rallies, and musical concerts. Pietropaolo’s poignant photographs are the only published collection of this series of events, and therefore an invaluable historical record.

Writer Catherine Macleod has said that “…these images bear witness to an everyday kind of response and commitment…Pietropaolo chronicled the passion, drama, and the stories in each city, and honoured the stand that so many people took in those days. His version of those events, deeply personal and humane, challenges the stereotypical images produced and disseminated by the often cynical media…they help us see ourselves as part of a cohesive community…not as victims but as agents in a democratic process...”

Foreword by Rev. Susan Eagle.

Introductory Essay by Catherine Macleod, writer and poet.

Soft cover, duo tone, 96 pp., 9.75 x 11.75 in.

Publisher: Between the Lines, Toronto, 1999

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