For many of us within the "progressive movement" we find ourselves doing the work we do as a result of our or others experiences with oppression.
It is our experience as or with oppressed, victimized, or marginalized people that drives us to do our part to facilitate change.
The challenge with oppression being the foundational motivation for our work, is that often we find ourselves stuck in the mindset of the oppressed and the victimized.
Despite our desire to grow, expand, and create change, we find ourselves unable to step out of our hurt, pain, frustration, and fear to a place of liberation.
While our lens as or with oppressed people shapes the foundation of our work, it cannot be the sole framework in which we work.
In order to be successful in our work, we must also be able to guide ourselves and others through a clear lens of what change looks like. We must be able to share a vision of what liberation looks like beyond the state of oppression.
This is especially important for those of us in leadership. We owe it to those we speak on behalf of to move beyond our oppressed identity and lead from our lens of liberation.
If we allow ourselves to learn from and work through our oppression, we will find ourselves in a place where we can truly lead.
Our oppressed identity often serves as our drive to fight our way through, but fighting alone will not win the battle to creat change. We must push through to liberation and discover a clear vision of change. It is from this vision that our leadership should emerge.
I challenge my colleagues in the movement to join me in moving beyond our identity as the oppressed and victimized to discover our liberation and clear vision of change.
Yours in Solidarity,
My Voice for Now
It is our experience as or with oppressed, victimized, or marginalized people that drives us to do our part to facilitate change.
The challenge with oppression being the foundational motivation for our work, is that often we find ourselves stuck in the mindset of the oppressed and the victimized.
Despite our desire to grow, expand, and create change, we find ourselves unable to step out of our hurt, pain, frustration, and fear to a place of liberation.
While our lens as or with oppressed people shapes the foundation of our work, it cannot be the sole framework in which we work.
In order to be successful in our work, we must also be able to guide ourselves and others through a clear lens of what change looks like. We must be able to share a vision of what liberation looks like beyond the state of oppression.
This is especially important for those of us in leadership. We owe it to those we speak on behalf of to move beyond our oppressed identity and lead from our lens of liberation.
If we allow ourselves to learn from and work through our oppression, we will find ourselves in a place where we can truly lead.
Our oppressed identity often serves as our drive to fight our way through, but fighting alone will not win the battle to creat change. We must push through to liberation and discover a clear vision of change. It is from this vision that our leadership should emerge.
I challenge my colleagues in the movement to join me in moving beyond our identity as the oppressed and victimized to discover our liberation and clear vision of change.
Yours in Solidarity,
My Voice for Now
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