Monday's Action Meeting

the third monday of the month's action meeting will have dedicated active anti-oppression time.

this monday, we're going to do an 'anti-oppression 101'

we're going to discuss terms (basic, but VERY important) and give a brief introduction about privilege vs. power within organizing.

Usually there will be a brief reading passed out the week before at the action meeting (and also posted on this blog). But this week, we're going to keep it simple. We're going to discuss Lilla Watson's quote "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together," as an introduction to the inter-sectionality of oppression and how systematic oppression affects us all regardless of privilege. This one sentence speaks volumes about the way USAS runs as an organization and the way we organize as students and as global citizens.





ok, i lied. there is still a little more reading. just a reminder to keep the discussion (monday's meeting and all further discussions of oppression) on point and to be respectful.

please keep this in mind at all times:

***taken from Buffalo Class Action/Colin O'Malley (a UBSAS alum)***

Some Excellent Basic Guidelines:

* just because you understand one kind of oppression doesn't mean you will automatically understand another.

just because you are a woman doesn't mean you understand the experience of racism. just because you are a gay man don't think you can map your experiences onto the oppression of the disabled. just because you are woman do not think you can know the shit a lesbian has to put up with. do not generalize your experiences to the experiences of others. listen to what those other oppressed groups are saying. don't put your words in their mouths.

* do not rank oppressions.

ranking oppressions is a losing game for the oppressed. standing up to all oppressions is the only way to win. sitting there saying one oppression is worse than another is only reinforcing oppression all around. help all your brothers and sisters. not just the ones like you.

* do not make a person who is part of two oppressed groups choose one oppression or the other.

do not put women of color in a position of criticizing sexism by agreeing with you but giving a pass on racism by not criticizing you - don't be racist. do not justify your indifference to heteronormativity by pointing out you work against ableism. do not ignore queer issues that are important to your sister just because you're straight. consider that people do experience more than one oppression at a time. listen to what these people have to say - it can teach you a lot about the nature of oppression.

* look for how your oppressed community oppresses other groups, and try to stop it.

really, what good is an anti-homophobia group that is sexist? what good is an anti-sexism group that is racist? with oppressed groups oppressing each other, is it any wonder there is so little progress from the oppressors? oppressions are interlocking and mutually reinforcing - if oppressed people cannot work together, what makes you think the oppressors will work with you? help each other.