NOTE: entries that are labeled by Week # are based in the weekly materials, discussions, and written assignments from the course, Identity, Power, and Vocation in Community.
In her interview with the Veterans of Hope Project, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon said, “If you don’t walk through trouble, you never get to meet the rest of yourself.” Walking through my trouble has helped me better understand my social location and accountability. Social location is the culmination of all our identities, from personal identify, to titles in society, to social categories. It is a shifting thing, not a fixed point, but in this moment, I identify as a white, female, cisgender, gender conforming, hetero/questioning, non-Christian, agnostic, US resident, working class, graduate educated, hidden disabled, single, parent, and Democratic Socialist. I belong to quite a few communities that are systemically advantaged, but believe I am accountable to all communities, particularly those who are systemically disadvantaged. Using Beverly Tatum’s words, “The task of resisting our own oppression does not relieve us of the responsibility of acknowledging our complicity in the oppression of others.”
I am wrestling with the idea presented by Ciarra Jones stating, “You can not be both a supremacist and a victim of the very supremacy that you espouse.” I believe there is harm in oppressive systems, not just to the marginalized, but also on the oppressors. For example, males benefit from misogyny and are still harmed by toxic masculinity. Additionally, if we can’t be the victim of supremacy we espouse, then how can shedding privilege end up being, as described by Aurora Levins-Morales, "liberating and joyful?" Oppressive systems hurt everyone. While dismantling systems of oppression must focus on and lift up the voices of those who are systemically disadvantaged, there is a benefit to recognizing that giving up privilege to dismantle an oppressive system also has benefits.
Levins-Morales also states, “shaming, shunning, and punishing are not tools of liberation.” This is essential for me. These last few months have been filled with challenging conversations about insidious parts of white supremacy culture, like microaggressions. I can’t stay silent, but calling people out often feels like shaming. I have been working on framing it as “calling people in.” This approach helps me frame the work from a place of love, which avoids feeling punishing and instead leans into the liberation and joy of the process.
Comentarios