NOTE: This post specifically addresses white allies but the principles are transferrable to any allyship relationship. Why we need boundaries: Emotional differentiation My understanding of allyship is that it is a relationship, rather than a one-way transaction. This means that principles of healthy relating apply, including enthusiastic consent and self-responsibility. I believe that these elements…
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The problem with Heart-centredness Heart-centred has become quite a popular word, especially embraced by communities devoted to social change. No doubt, having empathy allows us to relate to people we don’t share the similar life experiences with. Its especially important to be able to relate to those who we have more privilege than. Yet, we…
Racial justice is a labour of love. The problem is that we have not been taught to love ourselves or each other in a healthy way. In this post I will be exploring how care-taking behaviour learnt from childhood shows up as codependency in allyship and why this relationship dynamic needs to undone to work…
Charles and I first met almost 10 years ago as big boss and intern, respectively, when I did a little stint in my life as a web designer. We re-connected for the first time in about a decade to talk about all of the things we didn’t get to talk about in the office: whiteness,…
Artwork by Jill Greenberg NOTES & EDITS: This article is a re-work of another article that critiqued the shaming of white fragility in social justice communities. This post is directed mostly towards my white allies. ‘White tears’ is an ever popular word being used in social justice media these days. As a therapist I have…
NOTE: When I say ‘white’ this doesn’t equal European. I understand that there are long and unique histories of European peoples that I can’t speak to as I am not the expert. For me white begins in the ‘enlightenment’ era where reason came to the forefront of European society. From this understanding, I believe that…
Recently I have come to the conclusion that for me to authentically participate in anti-oppression work, I have to do it from a place that is informed by my ancestral culture. That is to say, my anti-oppression practice cannot be centred in the traditions of modern Western/Eurocentric thought. A big part of my recent personal decolonization…
