Franke James is an activist, artist and author of four books. She’s fought City Hall to build a green driveway (and won); been blacklisted by the Canadian Government for her climate change art—and turned their silencing into international news. Her latest book, Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me, is about rescuing her sister from forced care. In 2015 she won PEN Canada’s Ken Filkow Prize for her “tenacity in uncovering an abuse of power,” and in 2014, the Liberty Award for Excellence in the Arts from BC Civil Liberties. She lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and her sister, Teresa.
James is a member of TWUC's Freedoms and Rights Committee. From June 2017 to June 2018, she served as Chair of the FAR committee resulting in TWUC supporting a campaign for anti-SLAPP legislation in BC. TWUC joined 45 leading organizations and public interest advocates from a broad range of sectors in signing an open letter on March 5, 2018. A year later, the "Protection of Public Participation Act" was unanimously approved and passed. David Eby said, "The new law will help BC Courts identify and stop SLAPP lawsuits targeting those who speak out on matters of public interest."