"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
How do the words above resonate with you?
Pause here for a moment and free yourself from distractions:
Take a deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... deep breath in... exhale slowly... calm your mind and be present...
What are your thoughts on the Pledge of Allegiance?
...read it again... what does it mean to you..?
I always questioned the pledge. Even as a young child, reciting it in kindergarten, along with the rest of the class, I wondered... why we say it... why we stand and say it... and if those that demand we stand and say it believe the words to be true when they speak them..?
My thoughts lead to the segue to privilege and the topic of my blog today...
Unexamined privilege is the primary reason our social justice efforts fail to help the most vulnerable in our population. We tend to focus on the most privileged and most well represented. The needs of the most privileged are the ones prioritized and are often the only ones considered when discussing solutions to oppression and inequality. Leaving behind the underprivileged members we should also be serving.
“Intersectionality” provides a more inclusive alternative.
intersectionality | noun the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Our government, our education system, economic system and social systems all should consider intersectionality if they have any hope of effectively serving the public.
Ijeoma Oluo, in the book So You Want To Talk About Race offers these reasons why the system has been slow to adopt intersectionality practices:
Intersectionality slows things down.
Intersectionality brings people face-to-face with their privilege.
Intersectionality decentralizes people who are used to being the primary focus of the movements they are part of.
Intersectionality forced people to interact with, listen to, and consider people they don’t usually interact with, listen to, or consider.
As difficult and uncomfortable discussions of race, racial oppression and inequality may be, intersectionality practices MUST be utilized if we are serious about making significant and sustainable changes.
How do you increase the intersectionality in your discussions of race?
...think about that for a moment... any ideas...?
We have much work to do. However, the benefits are well worth the efforts.
*Questions to ask yourself in order to increase intersectionality practices and make discussions of race more productive:
1. How might race, gender, sexuality, ability, class, or sex impact this subject?
...asking yourself opens you to the idea of other viewpoints
2. Could the identity differences between me and the person I’m talking with about race be contributing to our differences of opinion or perspective?
3. Are the people in my racial justice conversations and the opinions being considered truly representing the diversity of identities that interact with the subject matter being addressed?
4. Does my scholarship of racial justice reflect the diversity of identities impacted by racial oppression? ...who writes the books/articles I’m using to inform my opinions?
5. Am I listening to people whose identities and experiences differ from mine?
6. Am I looking for what I don’t know?
7. Am I shifting some focus and power away from the most privileged in the conversation? ...Am I letting those we don’t hear from very often speak first... Am I making conversation accessible to everyone who wants to participate... Am I prioritizing opinions of those often overlooked..?
8. Am I providing a safe space for marginalized people to speak out?
...Privilege has been used to silence people... What can you do do make people feel safe to speak up around you..?
How will you make intersectionality a priority in your discussions of race?
...what’s your plan... What are you willing to do?
I challenge you to start the conversation.
Don’t miss your opportunity! Be intentional, encourage others to do the same and watch what happens.
You got this!
Coach Tavia
#standup, #speakup, #leadbyexample, #focus, #justdoit, #responsibility, #opportunity, #levelup, #leadershipdevelopment, #privilige, #freedomfriday, #lifecoach, #leadershipcoach, #learnandgrow, #engage, #eachoneteachone, #intentionally, #shareyourgifts, #letsgo
*This weeks blog postings have been inspired by New York Times Bestseller: So You Want To Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo
Thanks for taking the time to read! Please share with others... 🙏🏾