{"id":291,"date":"2025-11-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/?p=291"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:42:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:42:43","slug":"november-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/november-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"November 2025: <\/strong>Disappearing acts: What about us?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Note:<\/strong> Dr. Anderson is on academic leave until February 2026. This month Dr. Douglas is away on other commitments. I will continue the conversation we started about \u2018asking the other question<\/a><\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagowa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last month, we discussed the importance of tearing down the arbitrary walls of exclusion and creating safe spaces to ask the other question (\u2018what about us?<\/em>\u2019) But what happens when those “safe and loving spaces” become sites of exclusion? When the very movements built to dismantle oppression replicate the patterns of erasure they seek to end? “What about us?” is not a question of fragility or deflection\u2014it’s the quiet, aching inquiry of those who showed up to the work only to find themselves disappeared within it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This erasure doesn’t announce itself with slammed doors or explicit rejection. It happens in the margins: in whose pain gets centered, whose analysis is cited, whose presence is assumed versus whose must be justified. It happens when solidarity becomes conditional, when “lifting up folks who have long been doing deep analysis” somehow still manages to lift the same voices while others remain inaudible. The irony is devastating – movements against exclusion that inadvertently practice their own forms of it, creating hierarchies of whose marginalization matters most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Bridges: A Framework for Strengthening Intra-Equity Solidarity & Lowering Barriers Without Compromise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The way forward also includes deliberate institutional rearrangements that consider external impediments and internal processes. Key principles include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Prioritize Shared Values Over Ideological Purity:<\/strong>\u00a0Center the core value of the commitment to equity as a foundation; acknowledge a variety of different roads toward liberation. Very explicitly encourage questions from all levels of understanding (even the \u201csimple\u201d ones) as opportunities for communal learning, and present ignorance not as hostility but a space we can help one another fill.<\/li>
  2. Embrace Generous Interpretation & Contextualize Knowledge Gaps:<\/strong>\u00a0Assume good faith until evidence suggests otherwise and actively contextualize complex concepts (“This framework emerged from historical struggles; it’s still evolving”) rather than simply stating definitions.<\/li>
  3. Actively Center Marginalized Voices Within Movements (Beyond the Core):<\/strong>\u00a0This action item doesn\u2019t stop at just inviting marginalized voices to the table \u2014 it actively prioritizes them when it comes to making decisions and seeks to upend any hierarchical structures where one person\u2019s perspectives or investment in this work is valued over another\u2019s. In other words, avoid zero-sum thinking.<\/li>
  4. Cultivate Humility & Ongoing Unlearning:<\/strong>\u00a0Show that the work of equity depends on ongoing learning, unlearning, and growth for all people, including those most committed to it. Share your own personal blind spots with honesty (and without centering privilege) while normalizing rather than demanding perfection from the outset.<\/li>
  5. Explicitly Address Internal Exclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0Build in tools and methods in organizations, coalitions, and groups that get at the \u201cWhat about us?\u201d dynamic directly: structured dialogue, rotating leadership, resource allocation that intentionally prioritizes silenced voices, and transparent decision making.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Conclusion: Beyond Condemnation – Building Bridges With & Within Liberation Movements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    True liberation demands the breaking down of all <\/em>types of exclusion, even those we maintain with our own movements. Devising places where justice-oriented hearts feel safe enough to think through ideas out in the open (rather than fearing judgement or feeling judged<\/em>) while at the same time elevating the voices and needs of communities already engaged isn\u2019t a sellout. Instead, it\u2019s an essential stop on the way to creating a power that can dismantle every system of oppression. When we do, we don\u2019t water down our principles; we fortify them by widening the circle of access to the world-changing force that is collective liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This means moving beyond simply naming injustice toward actively cultivating practices rooted in humility, generosity, shared values, and intentional inclusion. It requires recognizing that the struggle for liberation isn’t just about fighting against<\/em> structures; it\u2019s equally about building new ones founded on solidarity \u2013 both outward to welcome all who yearn for justice, and inward to ensure we are truly leaving no one behind. By prioritizing connection over correction, growth over judgment, and collective empowerment above rigid adherence to pre-defined standards, we can forge movements that are not only justified in their opposition but also robust and resilient enough to achieve lasting transformation. Remember, the future doesn\u2019t belong solely to those who shout loudest against injustice\u2014it also belongs to those willing to build bridges strong enough that anyone with a heart for justice can cross them safely and begin their journey home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Note: Dr. Anderson is on academic leave until February 2026. This month Dr. Douglas is away on other commitments. I will continue the conversation we started about \u2018asking the other question.\u2019 Kagowa Last month, we discussed the importance of tearing down the arbitrary walls of exclusion and creating safe spaces to ask the other question … Continue reading “November 2025: <\/strong>Disappearing acts: What about us?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":301,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions\/301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.radyfhs.umanitoba.ca\/anti-racism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}