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I’m happy to finally be moving Social Justice Origin Stories from a concept in my head to something that exists outside of my thoughts and can be shared with others.
The road to get here was filled with starts and stops, but away we go now. I hope you find stories that resonate with you, stories that affirm you, and stories that help you make sense of your experiences.
I also hope you find stories that challenge you to more deeply understand the experiences of those you may not regularly consider on a daily basis because you don’t have to.
I’m starting Social Justice Origin Stories because I believe in the liberating effects of social justice education. I also want to support justice-seekers in finding community and feeling less alone in the face of relentless oppressive systems. I hope this project can be a source of support, reflection, and inspiration for those who are thinking through how they can best contribute to the work. We need all who can, to do what they can.
But I also want to acknowledge something important: not everyone is able to share their story right now.
For various reasons, some of us may be unable to share or speak at the moment.
I’m thinking of those of you doing equity work in states where the legislative power structures have mandated the erasure of any mention of equity, systems analysis, or any acknowledgment that inequities exist for reasons other than a person’s individual, personal failings.
Some of you may fear retaliation or the loss of your job. Perhaps you’ve already lost it and are trying to navigate the many levels of insecurity that come with that loss.
Those of you who are exhausted, overwhelmed by the weight of the world, experiencing loss on multiple levels, and may be met with pressure to go on as if everything is normal, even as your deeply felt awareness tells you otherwise in this system designed to consume at all costs until there’s nothing left.
Those of you who are experiencing moral injury or feelings of institutional betrayal as systems and organizations (even those who espouse values of equity and justice) revert to the same old oppressive practices in times of fear and uncertainty.
For those of you out there for whom naming the problem has translated into you being perceived as a problem, and a host of other issues that I did not name but that you are still experiencing right now.
Wherever you find yourself among the hard things. I want you to know that these stories are for you, too.
One important marker of healthy community is the degree to which our spaces are designed to allow us to both hold space for and express a wide variety of human emotions.
I believe we should be able to let one another know that “today was just a hard day”, or “I’m going through a really hard time right now. and may not be able to be present in the ways you may be used to”, and not have that be seen as a lack of enthusiasm or commitment to whatever the larger, shared goals may be.
If you’re in a place where you can’t move in the ways you once did as a person whose identities are under attack, or if you’re choosing not to for your own well-being for a time, I see you. Your experiences are still valid, your contributions are still needed, and you are not alone.
Whether you’re in a position to act now or need to pause and recharge, know that you are part of a larger continuum of people who have been doing this thing that is bigger than each of us individually.
These stories are for you, too.
