The Justice Walk Newsletter - November 2024

Leadership support rooted in equity and justice

What do we do now? 

If you’re reading this, most of the messages and vibes you’ve received since November 6th have probably been: “Panic, Freak out, DO SOMETHING!”

Me too. What I’m realizing - thanks to the teaching of Black women, queer folks, Brown people, immigrants, etc. - is that a lot of that PANIC messaging is both rooted in and serving white supremacy and other systems of oppression.  

"We must act in one specific way," they say, "urgently, and visibly." Systems of oppression need us to believe that liberation work can and should be one, big, visible, newsworthy thing - a march, an election win or loss, a fundraiser, a moment. That when we are doing "the work" we must feel the importance of the moment, receive attention, and see immediate, positive results.

(While that idea about what systems of oppression need us to believe is true universally, it’s particularly true in regards to white folks, white women, like me. Those of us most likely to be newer to seeing, understanding, and trying to disrupt oppressive systems).

If you’ve ever done anything hard, you know that isn't at all how it works. Learning any skill, building any relationship, picking up any new hobby, requires putting in a lot of time and effort. Most of the time and effort will be invisible to others, progress will not be linear, and moments of “achievement” will often be small, noticed only by ourselves, or recognized for their impact only in hindsight. 

The work of building equity and belonging is made up of millions of moments. Most are quiet and unseen, some noteworthy. Know, though, that every attention-getting, noteworthy moment is preceded (and followed) by a lot more of that unrecognized work.

In times when the work of liberation takes an obvious hit, we do need to do some individual and collective reflection. 

• What am I noticing in myself in terms of how I’m reacting and showing up that indicates a need for attention and healing?

• What reflection can I do with colleagues to review the strategies and tools towards liberation we’ve been using to consider potential shifts? 

In reality, liberation work and transformational relationships embed self- and collective reflection as a part of ongoing practice. It isn’t a one-time, crisis-induced exercise.

The messages to PANIC cause shame, self-blame, and overwhelmedness which confuse and override our ability to do the real work I know many of you already know how to do.

We are all on individual journeys.

• Maybe you are suddenly being confronted with things you thought you knew being upended.

• Maybe you are realizing you have been oblivious to systems that harm others, even though they’ve never harmed you.

• Maybe there are things you have believed, done, or said that you newly recognize as harmful, or at least questionable.

I’ve been there. A bunch.

And, shame and self-blame are not helpful movement-building emotions. Notice them, sure. Receive their messages, yes. But, when we hold on to shame and self-blame past the point of usefulness, they keep us focused on our own emotions. We are centering ourselves and our experience of shame related to our action or inaction, prioritizing our feelings over the harm experienced by directly-impacted folks. 

Our feelings are real and valid. And, we can pause to consider:

• What systems are served by sowing shame, panic, and immobilization?

• Do I want to remain in service to those systems?

• What in me is susceptible to those systems’ messages?

• How can I focus on providing care and healing for myself to dim the impact of those messages? 

The upcoming situation regarding Federal policy, funding, and rhetoric towards those traditionally and most often harmed is scary. Things are harmful now and threatening to get drastically more so. 

Regardless of where we are on our journeys, I believe the work for all of us follows the same principles:

• Listen to those most impacted;

• Follow their lead;

• Use the power and privilege we have in the ways those with less ask us to use them;

• Build transformative relationships;

• Participate in beloved community and most importantly;

• Do our own inner work so that we can do all of the above authentically - and even with joy. 

One important note. We listen to, believe, learn from, and follow directly-impacted folks. It is important to recognize that it is not their responsibility to educate us about their experiences. They do enough labor carrying the weight of them. Of course, there are hundreds of directly-impacted folks who have opted into this leadership role. They write books, appear on podcasts, lead workshops, serve as consultants, etc.They have created the curriculum for our self-education. 

What about the people we know who are directly-impacted in ways that we are not? We can ask those folks if they are willing to answer our questions or talk with us about their experiences, but only if and when we are able to graciously hear and accept it if they say “no” and respect the boundaries they may put on the conversation.

I’ll close with something a friend texted me recently, “...we won’t let panic dominate. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be present at times. It’s just that it won’t serve us for the marathon. So, we have to pat it on the head, maybe feed it a treat of choice, and keep going.” 

I’m glad I get to keep going in community with all of you.Abby 

Please note: If you are looking for recommendations for your self-education, I’m happy to provide them.I’m also gauging interest in a small-group, sliding-scale fee, coaching series for individuals interested in jump-starting their equity and belonging journey.  If you’d like to learn more, reach out at [email protected]

Strengthening Your Team

Could your group use some tools to work together with more intention, togetherness, and joy?My friend, ala ochumare, of Liberation U, and I co-facilitate personalized workshops focused on how to foster belonging and transformative relationships in organizations and communities.Sound interesting? Get in touch, we're booking for winter/spring 2025 now!

To learn more about my coaching and consulting, and find out if I'm a good fit for you and your org, email me at [email protected]Quick reminder to follow me on Linked In - button below.