Anti-Oppression 101: Alliance building, and tips for a liberatory organization

[schmevil]

I'm doing some reassessing and research. Below is an excerpt from a piece I'm reading, and may be of interest to some of you:

Anti-Oppression 101: Alliance building, and tips for a liberatory organization

Working for Social Justice in Everything We Do

Confronting privilege or ways you’ve been duped because of a group you belong to is a complicated, lifelong process, but there are things you to can do to confront these issues head on. There is no comprehensive guide for how to be an ally, but here are some things we can all work toward:

Become an ally to yourself. If you can’t stand up for yourself, how are you going to stand up for anyone else?

Work with the perspective that social, economic and environmental issues are interconnected and interdependent. People currently have unequal access to clean and healthy food, air, water, homes and land. These are historic inequalities, and they continue to be largely based on race, class, gender and sexuality.

Understand and learn about systems of oppression and challenging the power structures which support those systems and create injustices.

Understand that we all have multiple and fluid identities. There are no pure cultures or identities. One’s gender, race, class or other identifier may change over time, or one person may embody multiple races, genders, cultures and ethnicities simultaneously. Don’t box people in. It’s suffocating.

Incorporate the principles of participatory democracy in our meetings and actions and recognize that all people should have equal access to the decision-making processes that affect them.

Take responsibility for equalizing power and creating a space where all are encouraged to actively engage, listen, speak and act with respect. Don’t place the responsibility for fighting oppression or teaching others about their oppression on those who are targeted by it. Interrupt oppressive behavior while it is happening. If a few white males are dominating an argument, point that out to the group and suggest that others speak up.

Learn about the histories and struggles of impacted communities and other groups as told by them.

Work in solidarity with communities directly impacted by the issue we work on by taking our lead from them and supporting their efforts to determine their own futures.

Prioritize and build relationships with impacted communities and a broad base of constituents across social, economic and political boundaries.

Listen to, learn from, and amplify the voices of our allies, yet don’t expect anyone to be a spokesperson for their community.

Actively seek feedback and evaluation of your work in order to be more accountable.

Make formal organizational commitments to non-discrimination. Put it in your charter, your by-laws…anywhere you can. Make it clear in every way possible that your group does not tolerate discrimination in any form and that no actions or speech that will alienate people because of their gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, nationality or social or ethnic origin will be considered acceptable in your group.

Create a caucus system for our groups. In a caucus, people first meet separately (people of color caucus/white folks alternative group, gender oppressed caucus/gender privileged alternative group, queer caucus/heterosexual alternative group) according to how they self identify. Each group has a discussion separately (often the caucus will give the alternative group a specific action or issue to discuss) and then meet with the alternative group to tell the caucus what they discussed and what concrete steps they will take to combat racism/sexism/etc. Caucuses don’t have to reveal what they discussed unless they decide to.

Find effective ways to confront oppressive behavior. This means not alienating members who are actively working on their issues with racism/sexism/heterosexism, but instead talking with them honestly about it. One-on-one conversations, group discussions and caucuses are all effective methods.

Use "I" statements when you speak. People of privileged groups often universalize their experience, not realizing that other people don’t share their feelings or experiences.

Consider what role privilege or oppression related to your gender, sexual orientation, race and class might play in your tendency to take/avoid leadership.

Make decisions in meetings with an established process. This way, even newcomers and people outside of the ‘clique’ are included and feel ownership of the group and its projects. Explain the process before you start.

Make sure social events are inclusive. Not all activists like punk rock (this seems to be a surprise to most punk rockers). Not all activists smoke weed or drink. If all of your social events involve substances, you will alienate people right off the bat.

Go easy on the activist-speak! Ensure that all acronyms, activist jargon and references to past campaigns or group members are explained so that nobody feels stupid or left out.

Avoid inside jokes. As hilarious as they may seem to you, nobody likes an inside joke when they’re on the outside.

Examine the resources and privileges we have and utilize them thoughtfully, respectfully, honestly and transparently. Wouldn’t it be cool if white people worked to stop racism, adults worked on youth issues, men supported the empowerment of women and girls, and straight people worked for queer inclusiveness? We think so. That’s why we do this work.

Alternate: http://schmevil.dreamwidth.org/260063.html.
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