Community Advocacy

In my previous post, I posed several questions to hopefully encourage reflection. One such question was

Who are you excluding while you’re building community

Well, you don’t know what you don’t know. So who might you be excluding? If you are part of a marginalized community, you may feel immune to having marginalized others- that is not the case.

One of the benefits of being is community is being able to amplify a group of voices, which may include advocacy for groups who do not have the privilege. This can include houseless people, incarcerated people, disabled people, immigrants, queer and trans folks, children, animals, victims of abuse, adoptees or foster care survivors, Indigenous people, sex workers.

It is easy to overlook our own privilege in having access to community, and (relating back to my last post) even being able to pick and choose who we are in community with. We must look out for those who do not have the same privilege.

Some steps and considerations:

Learn about their struggles. No one is obligated to educate you. Find reliable resources and have conversations with people who are INTERESTED in talking. I mean this so sincerely- do not corner someone and ask them to explain systemic issues to you, especially while they’re being impacted by them (hint: we are always impacted).

Find out what is meaningful advocacy. Just because you understand the problem does not mean you understand the solution.

This is the part where you need to check your privilege. Firstly, where can you speak out that is safer for you than someone you’re advocating for?

Second, refrain from patting yourself on the back. example: white saviorism. I like to imagine that simply living by your own morals is gratifying enough; do you really need a high-five, too?

Lastly, Don’t settle. We have much work to do. Take the wins, but remember there is more to be done.