Do The Hard Thing: Confronting Our Privilege as a Path to Justice with Angie Freeman

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“Throughout my life I have always focused on my own non-dominant identities and how I’ve been impacted, but my journey transitioned into focusing more on the areas and identities that I held privilege. My social justice philosophy is that everyone has a shared responsibility in the overall fight for social justice, and those who hold privilege are the most influential in societal changes. Small things have the most impact, and multiplied by millions of people can result in significant changes over time. Bravery, risk-taking, and compassion and vulnerability have been overlooked and underutilized in our work towards equity, inclusion, and belonging.”

–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.

Meet Angie

Angie Freeman, M.S. (they/them) is a Black, trans and nonbinary, queer, neurodivergent, speaker, educator, parent, spouse, friend, leader, dancer, and instructor. Growing up around different parts of the country has shaped who they are today – personally and professionally. Angie represents and fights for DEIB – period.

With over a decade of experience in higher education, Angie continues to pave a path led by self-work and action. Angie’s mission is to create spaces for folks to connect, share, reflect, and implement action for our shared responsibility in social justice, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Name Drops, References, and Resources from Angie

People and Mentors: Cassandra Freeman, Michelle Southward, Kelly Sappington, Norris Chase, Stacey Miller, Michele “Enos” Lakemeyer, Haley Cutler, De Palazzo, Tabatha Mudra, Esmeralda Carretero, Xina Barron, Thandi Sule, Kelli Dowd, Spencer Hall, Evolve Benton

Books: 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say by Maura Cullen, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, Atomic Habits by James Clear

Movements: George Floyd

Other Things: Dance industry, American Sign Language, Safe Schools South Florida, Lack of racial consciousness in the household

More from Angie

I was in the passenger seat of a car with a friend in a parking lot. As we were backing out, a car almost hit us. We stepped on the brakes hard and honked the horn several times. We started yelling at the other car “what the hell.. watch where you’re going.. you almost hit us..” I look over at the person driving and they started speaking in ASL signing words of apology and fearfulness. My mouth dropped as I realized the person was Deaf and could not hear us honking the horn and obviously couldn’t hear us yelling at them. It was that moment when I realized how much privilege I was exerting to assume I was in the right and that the other car should’ve been watching out for me and how dare that person not see me coming. I was in disbelief. I felt embarrassed. I was speechless. I was wrong. From that moment, I humbled myself and began to deconstruct my own isms and the privileges that I held. Self work became a pivotal factor in my overall journey to social justice education.

When I give keynote addresses, facilitate workshops, lead discussions, and engage in casual conversations, I always share my personal experiences and stories around my faults and learnings. I show a great deal of vulnerability because it humanizes me, and I believe that is the best way to see people for who they are and show compassion for their experiences. I want people to see the small changes that I’ve made and understand their impact on the world. I want people to know that asking me how I want to be addressed means more to me than they will ever probably understand.

The little things are the most impactful. In addition, I want people to see value in doing self-work. We won’t get to where we need to be by just learning and reading about social justice. We have to self-reflect, be honest with ourselves about how we have shown up in this world and contributed to oppression, and then choose to take a risk that many people are not willing to take – do something, say the hard thing, be vulnerable, and be open to shifting your perspective.”

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Social Justice Origin Stories is produced, edited, and hosted by Relando Thompkins-Jones