[View Cart]

Our Mission
Liberation Ink is an all volunteer worker-owned apparel printing and design collective created to fund social justice organizing. The collective was born out of our belief that a truly sustainable movement must be funded from within.

The Collective!
Having worked together as student organizers, and moving on to different social justice organizations throughout the greater Bay Area, the six of us came together in 2004 to create a collective whose principles, products, and profits would contribute to building a stronger movement for social justice. We brought our experiences and inspirations to the table and created Liberation Ink.

As an all volunteer collective, we welcome collaboration with new volunteers and artists to grow the capacity of our collective to meet its mission.

In struggle,

The Workers' Collective of Liberation Ink
Emunah Yuka Edinburgh
Shaw San Liu
Le Tim Ly
Seth Newton
Jill Shenker
Janelle Ishida (retired)

Emunah Yuka Edinburgh was born in Japan and lived on five different continents before settling in San Francisco in 1990. She has worked in the Tenderloin at the Central City Hospitality House Community Arts Program ( CCHH) a public studio for homeless and low-income artists. In college, Emunah painted a mural that received the Precita Eyes Public Mural Award. Emunah has worked with Spencer Nakasako, an award-winning documentary filmmaker at the Vietnamese Youth Development Center Media Lab (VYDC). She has also led video workshops at Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) in East Palo Alto, helping youth integrate media into their environmental justice campaigns. Emunah loves great food, the Alemany Farmers' Market, watching cheesy romantic comedies, and the sunsets off Highway 1. Check out her dad's cool art. Emunah designed the "Peace & Justice, Paz Y Justicia" shirt that was our very first design--back when we had a one-color press that Emunah built!

Janelle Ishida grew up on beautiful Moloka’i in Hawai’i. She is now the Organizing Director with Californians for Justice (CFJ) in San Jose, a statewide grassroots organization working to empower communities that have been pushed to the margins of the political process. She is currently working with youth and parents to fight for racial justice in education. Janelle lives with her wife Elly Matsumura and serves on the board of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network). Two truths and a lie: she has been “married” 5 times – to the same person; she recruited her family members to move to the Bay Area and volunteer for Liberation Ink; she is the tallest, fastest, and most flexible member of the collective. Janelle has sadly given up her days of commuting one hour (each way) to paricipate in Liberation Ink's volunteer Core... but when she's able to help out, we're very much appreciative of her energy and enthusiasm!

Jill Shenker survived growing up in conservative Colorado Springs before winding her way to the Bay. She is now an organizer with the San Francisco Day Labor Program and Women’s Collective at La Raza Centro Legal ( LRCL) . She has also worked in youth arts activism, doing projects with Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE) and Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network). During her time in the Bay she's also been active in Jews for a Free Palestine, the Challenging White Supremacy Workshops, and other anti-imperialist efforts. Jill loves yummy food, swimming in natural bodies of water, and smudging oil pastels. She is a beautiful person and an inspired artist. Jill gets her creativity from her family. Her mom Jane Roberts is a metalsmith - Designs on You by Jane. Her stepdad is a doula and photographer, among other things. Jill designed the "Heart is a Muscle..." shirt that continues to be our best-seller!

Le Tim Ly (pronounced “Lee”) [artist formerly known as Tim] was born in Malaysia where his family were refugees of the Vietnam War. Le grew up in New Jersey and moved to the South Bay in middle school. Le is currently holding down two jobs. He works at Partnership for Immigrant Leadership and Action (PILA) and the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA). Before that he coordinated the youth organizing program at Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) an environmental and social justice organization in East Palo Alto. Le is constantly thinking up new ventures to build the movement and save/raise money. He loves good cheap deals, Lord of the Rings, and cooking up ambitious vietnamese/chinese feasts.

Seth Newton grew up in Oregon with his 5 (yes, five!) brothers. He is an anti-imperialist worker organizer, artist, and river rat. He is currently a lead organizer for AFSCME Local 3299, organizing workers @ UC Berkeley. He has worked at Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 715 in San Jose, where he was a steward for his own union, the Union Workers’ Union. Before that, he was an organizer for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE), Local 2850 in Oakland, and active in the Challenging White Supremacy Workshops of San Francisco. Seth is a folk-rock singer songwriter and is currently in two bands the Pacific Manouche Trio and Hello, Harbinger. He is also a visual artist enjoying the medium best described as “papercutting”. Seth loves the mountains and rivers of the left coast, rockin’ out to Ani, and $2 Blackjack tables in Reno. Seth designed our Women Freedom Fighter series that includes the Assata Shakur, Leila Khaled, and Commandante Ramona shirts.

Shaw San Liu grew up in the South Bay, where her Taiwanese immigrant parents set down roots. She gave several years of her life to the inspiration and exhaustion of organizing for a union ...and then took a well-deserved break in Beijing, where she improved her literacy, knowledge of left politics in China, and ability to eat non-vegan products. Shaw San connected to the people and language of Mexico during stays below the border. Since then she has been active in activism related to Chiapas and the struggles of the EZLN. She is now working at the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) as a community organizer in their Worker Organizing Center. Shaw San loves salsa dancing, vegetarian Dr. Martens, and eating the crust.

articles/aboutus.php