Giving Compass' Take:

• Lamay Ho, Executive Director of  Resource Generation shares insight as to how she runs her organization based on a reflection of her own privileges and oppression. 

• How can social justice organizations benefit from understanding the intersections of privilege and oppression to help guide their work? 

• Read about the investments that the California Wellness Foundation is making for women of color, aligning themselves with people who have fewer privileges than others. 

I most often hear this language applied to white people, and for a long time as a queer woman of color I did not think much about where I could be organizing around my privilege, nor did I really think it was the most strategic role I could play. But this was all during a time when I was organizing in predominantly queer people of color spaces while hiding my class privilege and wealth.   I have some lessons to share for anyone who wants to get your people with love and rigor:

  • Love yourself first.
  • “Remember who the real enemy is.” The real enemy is the system of capitalism, classism, and white supremacy that pits us against each other and dehumanizes us all.
  • Similarly, my Buddhist practice has taught me the importance of curiosity and non-identification.
  • Face the truth. It’s essential to really look at and acknowledge the full scope of harm caused by capitalism and wealth accumulation, to cut through all the myths, distortions, and denial.
  • Face the truth on a personal level, too. 
  • Align with those who are most harmed. I know my wealth and class privilege has made me deeply clueless about the lived reality of anyone who doesn’t come from an upper-class background.
  • Embodiment. Denial, minimization, and intellectualization deeply enables violence and exploitation. Having a holistic approach to organizing which includes body practice helps us unlearn our numbness and recover our full range of human expression and emotion
  • Both/and. I simultaneously experience privilege and oppression. I organize people who benefit from massive wealth inequality to fight against the system that made us rich.
  • Model vulnerability.
  • Patience and persistence. 
  • Know your limits. 

Read the full article about both/and concept by limay Ho at Resource Generation