Do The Hard Thing: Confronting Our Privilege as a Path to Justice with Angie Freeman
After narrowly avoiding a car accident in a parking lot one day, Angie Freeman (they/them) reflects on how that experience, and their initial reaction in the moments before and after learning the other driver was Deaf, expanded their awareness of their unexamined privilege. The experience set them on a path to learn American Sign Language (ASL), learn more about the lived experiences of Deaf people, and sparked a journey of self-work to more deeply understand how privilege operates. This journey continues to inform their life and work today as a speaker and educator.
Angie also shares an example from their experiences as a Black, trans, and nonbinary parent that speaks to the importance of teaching children the expansiveness of gender identity and family structures from a young age.
Their storytelling invites us to start with ourselves, to focus on deconstructing the misinformation that’s reflected through our privileged identities, and to use the power we have in service of equity and justice.