The Concept of a Leader
In his article "But We Don't Have Leaders", Chris Crass talks about in his organizing experience at Food Not Bombs (FNB), people often said "there are no leaders". "Our refusal of leadership was, in many ways, an attempt to share power, but it also made it extremely difficult to talk about the real power dynamics in our work and how they related to institutional forms of privilege and oppression." He continues:
"Leadership development is primarily about doing day to day work - door knocking, political education, recruitment, cooking for 100 people at a rally - and having a space to reflect and learn from the experience. Making leadership development a more formal and intentional process, for me, has been about taking responsibility for my actions and trying to be accountable to the people I work with. In rejecting leadership, I was in many ways rejecting responsibility and accountability to others and continuing the tradition of capitalist individualism. In learning to respect the leadership of others and myself, I have struggled to reclaim trust in and respect for myself, both of which I was taught to achieve only through dominating others. In working to heal myself and fight back, I have needed the leadership of others who have nurtured and developed communities of resistance and cultures of liberation."
Ella Baker also warns of having too few leaders. "I have always felt that it was a handicap for oppressed people to depend so largely on a leader, because unfortunately in our culture the charismatic leader usually becomes the leader because he has found a spot in the public limelight. It usually means that the media made him, and the media can undo him."
We do not need no leaders at all or one leader alone. Instead, we need lots and lots of different kinds of leaders: the idealist, the mentor, the achiever, the innovator, the synthesizer, the partner, the enthusiast, the advocate, the diplomat, we needs lots of them all!
Some questions asked of us I now ask you...
What kind of leader are you? Who has supported you in developing your leadership? How did they develop your leadership? Whose leadership have you helped develop? How can you continue supporting their development? Is there anyone else who's leadership you want to support?
Leadership Development within Grassroots Community Organizations
For me, leadership development often feels like a weighted term in the community organizing world: something that often gets pushed to the wayside in order to focus all energy on a campaign, something that turns in to a few workshops instead of a holistic integrated vision, and something that is a source of tension between organizations who compete over the number of members in leadership. In my experience organizing in NYC, I saw this play out in many ways (both in my organizing and organizing around the city): organizers taking on a lot of the work that could have been held by members; leadership development workshops without skills transferring to the work; hierarchical one direction leadership development - i.e. organizer supporting development of key leaders vs. a bunch of leaders supporting each other's development, the development of new folks coming in, and bringing in new folks to the organization; the same two leaders speaking at every hearing, leading every action, facilitating every meeting; leaders not seeing the organization as "you" instead of "us". Not to at all diminish the beautiful and inspiring ways I also saw community members develop in to powerful leaders through the work, but I think there is something here that needs to be addressed, for if we are winning campaigns without centering the leadership development of us all in the process, then how are we really accomplishing the vision of building power from the grassroots? I also don't want to point blame at individual organizations or people, for I think this problem comes out of the non-profit industrial complex and how foundations breed competition and force deliverables that leave little time for intentional leadership development. But upon reflection of our session on the matter, I'm also beginning to wonder if the problem is far greater than any amount of intentional leadership development workshops and one-on-one leader support could ever really solve.
The Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico show us what a radical structure of democracy looks like and how it allows for the participation and leadership of the entire community. The article "Zapatismo beyond Chiapas" by Manuel Callahan explains how it requires a system "that seeks and respects the contribution of everyone, each sharing their own word. The Zapatistas demonstrated that it is possible to organize collective action based on a community wide dialogue, consensus and commitment." They work under a system of mandar obedeciendo, or "lead by obeying," which "suggest going beyond a system of hierarchy and rank where elites are conferred the duty and right to direct...Mandar obedeciendo requires humility and a commitment to listening, neither of which can be taken for granted. It is an invitation to a profound transformation, collective and individual. Transformation is both necessary and integral to struggle as we provoke, incide, facilitate, inspire, listen, and work with one another with humility.
In class we learned about Ella Baker's vision for group centered leadership and model for Participatory Democracy which required the following:
1. assess conditions of exclusion, who's left out?
2. Apply corrective measures
3. Reorganize relationships
Sista II Sista (SIIS) of Brooklyn, NY shows us how a non hierarchical inclusive organizational structure allows for broad based participation and leadership. SIIS is a Brooklyn-wide community-based organization in Bushwick. In the article "Sistas Making Moves" they describe themselves as "a collective of working-class, young and adult, Black and Latina women building together to model a society based on liberation and love. Our organization is dedicated to working with young women to develop personal, spiritual and collective power. We are committed to fighting injustice and creating alternatives to the systems we live in by making social, cultural, and political change." They see their organization structure as a flower, with the petals representing different areas of work: "organizational development, the Freedom School program, outreach and organizing, financials, fundraising...and membership." The center of the flower is the collective which "includes the Sista Squad (young women leadership body); the collective (young and adult women who meet monthly); the advisory board and our general membership. These bodies decide on the direction and vision of the organization together twice a year at retreats. The Sista Squad and the collective make the day-to-day decision that need to be made outside of those retreats." While SIIS no longer has paid staff, when they did, all staff were paid the same across the board. Along with having an organizational structure that facilitates leadership development, they have an intentional program called the Freedom School for Young Women of Color. "For the first three years we didn't take on organizing projects and campaigns, instead we focused on building our base, developing collective leadership and consciousness, and supporting the organizing work of our allies. Once we had established a strong base of members through the Freedom School, we began to develop our organizing work."
Saturday night I hosted our "end of Braden" party. At some point in the night, a friend asked me how I was doing. "I'm great!" I said. "I host like I organize in high chaos situations, delegate all responsibilities so that I can jump in as crisis arise. Rachel and Tim are on the fire. Dana and Annie Morgan on the grill." I explained how during Sandy and the Obama campaign I had trained leaders to then coordinate groups of volunteers. "But how does that develop leadership at the bottom?" she asked. Not that 2 drinks in was a good time for intensive self reflection on organizing technique, but it left me thinking, even in times of chaos, is it possible to create structures that are inclusive and non- hierarchical? That I am not sure. I am also not sure if it is feasible for non-profit organizations already set in an organization model and constrained by foundation dollars to radically reconstruct their model given the circumstances. But learning about the examples above gives me hope, and leaves me feeling inspired how to further integrate these practices into all of my organizing.
And no coincidence at all, the Silvia Rivera Law Project published a report on Bottom Up Stratgies and Practices for Membership Based Organizations earlier this month.
------
As the Anne Braden comes to a close, I see more and more clearly the importance of stepping up as a leader in my community and supporting the leadership of others. Ella Baker often asked, "who are your people?" Who are my people? My people are young rich kids. Queer jews. Radical jews. Eco jews. Residents of Dundee & Elgin, Illinois. My friends. My comrades. My family. Those are my people.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Session 13: Climbing the Ladder to Love and Resistance
This week's session was on personal transformation for collective liberation. One article that really stood out to me is "From White Racist to White Anti-Racist: The Life-Long Journey". In the article, they lay out a "ladder of empowerment", which shows the trajectory of growth from ignorance (ie racism doesn't exist, to feelings of guilt and shame, to finally a community of love and resistance with many steps in between. This ladder was super helpful in helping me to track my own path and in reminding me that it's a long journey from ignorance to anti-racist politics, and that we have to give each other time and space and also challenge each other to climb up the metaphorical ladder.
Rather than try to capture what they say, I'd recommend checking out the article here. Where do you fit in the ladder? Where do you want to be? In the next month? Year? 5 years? What changes can you make to get there? What resources do you have to do that? Who do you have in your life to hold you accountable to climb that ladder and sustain you at the top?
In session we focused on the idea of idealized self image and did an activity to bring awareness to the ego we bring into movement work. Picture an iceberg.
At the top of the iceberg, peaking out of the water is your idealized self image (ISI). This is the image of yourself you want to project to the world. We used this to talk about the image of ourselves we project as anti-racist organizers. Some examples of things that came up for people (remember, this is our idealized self, so it's intentionally exaggerated): "I get people of color, people of color get me", "I've got this privilege thing all figured out", "I'm good at solving problems", "I'm well resourced and helpful", "I'm open to feedback", "I have good ideas", "I'm needed in the movement", "Ugh, white people" , "Being a good anti-racist means taking up little space and never talking", "I'm efficient and effective", "I'm going to always say yes regardless of my own emotional and mental health because that's what it means to be a good ally". These are just a few examples of how ISI plays out for different people. As you can see, although there are many different experiences that sometimes contradict each other, very few are productive in our own sustainability in the movement and our own growth and transformation.
The next part of the iceberg, right under the water, is fears, insecurities, self doubts, that are responsible for our ISI. Some examples from the group: "Fear of being wrong," "Fear of not having the answers," "Fear of isolation, of being alone without community," "Self worth tied to being irreplaceable in the movement," "Fear of not being the perfect anti-racist ally," "insecurity that I'm just doing this work for my own good."
The bottom of the iceberg, meant to ground us and move out of these fears, insecurities, and self-doubts, is about deep intentions, motivations, and core commitments to movement work. What keeps me motivated is the vision of a world where people can move freely throughout the world - not forced by lack of work or violence nor prohibited by falsely constructed borders, where people can live freely where they choose - not determined by financial resources or power, but by connection to the land, and where people can love freely - whoever, wherever, and however they see fit. My commitments to making this vision a reality is to bring my full self to the movement, leveraging my access to resources and power, while building deep and long lasting relationships grounded in love, care and interdependence.
Rather than try to capture what they say, I'd recommend checking out the article here. Where do you fit in the ladder? Where do you want to be? In the next month? Year? 5 years? What changes can you make to get there? What resources do you have to do that? Who do you have in your life to hold you accountable to climb that ladder and sustain you at the top?
In session we focused on the idea of idealized self image and did an activity to bring awareness to the ego we bring into movement work. Picture an iceberg.
At the top of the iceberg, peaking out of the water is your idealized self image (ISI). This is the image of yourself you want to project to the world. We used this to talk about the image of ourselves we project as anti-racist organizers. Some examples of things that came up for people (remember, this is our idealized self, so it's intentionally exaggerated): "I get people of color, people of color get me", "I've got this privilege thing all figured out", "I'm good at solving problems", "I'm well resourced and helpful", "I'm open to feedback", "I have good ideas", "I'm needed in the movement", "Ugh, white people" , "Being a good anti-racist means taking up little space and never talking", "I'm efficient and effective", "I'm going to always say yes regardless of my own emotional and mental health because that's what it means to be a good ally". These are just a few examples of how ISI plays out for different people. As you can see, although there are many different experiences that sometimes contradict each other, very few are productive in our own sustainability in the movement and our own growth and transformation.
The next part of the iceberg, right under the water, is fears, insecurities, self doubts, that are responsible for our ISI. Some examples from the group: "Fear of being wrong," "Fear of not having the answers," "Fear of isolation, of being alone without community," "Self worth tied to being irreplaceable in the movement," "Fear of not being the perfect anti-racist ally," "insecurity that I'm just doing this work for my own good."
The bottom of the iceberg, meant to ground us and move out of these fears, insecurities, and self-doubts, is about deep intentions, motivations, and core commitments to movement work. What keeps me motivated is the vision of a world where people can move freely throughout the world - not forced by lack of work or violence nor prohibited by falsely constructed borders, where people can live freely where they choose - not determined by financial resources or power, but by connection to the land, and where people can love freely - whoever, wherever, and however they see fit. My commitments to making this vision a reality is to bring my full self to the movement, leveraging my access to resources and power, while building deep and long lasting relationships grounded in love, care and interdependence.
Bonus Session: Disability Justice, Able-Body Privilege
I've been lucky to get to spend the last few months learning along side Jacob. Jacob, who said it was okay for me to share his story with my community, is a disability rights activist who has Cerebral Palsy and Asperger Syndrome. Time and time again, Jacob put himself out there in our sessions, bringing the struggle of disabled folks into the conversation and naming when ableism* was happening in the space. Ableism shows up in movement in many ways, from if a space is wheelchair accessible and if it is set up in a way that is accessible for different bodies, to how the dialogue makes space for various ways of learning and expression of thoughts and feelings and incorporates the experience of people with various abilities. I feel super grateful to have Jacob in the program first and foremost because he's a fun person and awesome friend, and also because he's really challenged me to look critically at the ways that ableism shows up in myself, in the movement, and in the system.
Reflecting back on my last few years of organizing, I'm embarrassed to admit that I have not stopped to process how ableism plays out in the same ways I've analyzed other systems of oppression: how my being "able bodied" impacts everything from the way I get around, to my ability to get a job, to the ways I'm treated in social situations, to the way my body is seen as productive in society. There isn't really any part of the way I move through the world that is not impacted by me being able-bodied. For years, I worked with many disabled folks in Public Housing and did not bring that reality to the forefront of my work, often booking spaces that were not wheelchair accessible because they were free and convenient for others. I'm thankful to Jacob for pushing me to bring this reality more into my daily consciousness, but similarly to how Catalyst exist because white people should not rely on people of color to teach us about racism, able bodied people shouldn't always rely on people with disabilities to teach us about ableism. We need to teach ourselves too!
*Ableism: The normalization of able-bodied persons resulting in the privilege of perceived "normal ability" and the oppression and exclusion of people with disabilities at many levels of society. Normalized bodies are those that are considered in the planning and designing of society under capitalism, because those bodies are deemed profitable to those who rule capitalist society. Ableist thought leads to the planning and designing of communities in ways that deny access to people with disabilities and Deaf people. Ableism is also expressed through exclusive attitudes of non-disabled and hearing people.
As a result of the presence of this conversation in our weekly dialogue, the leadership team recommended that we self organize a workshop on disability justice to educate ourselves together. It was startling to learn that although the 25 of us in the program have been involved in movement work for a bit, I believe that no one except Jacob had attended a workshop before on disability justice. Myself and 4 others including Jacob stepped up to make this happen. I came into the planning assuming there was curriculum out there that we could adapt, or people who do these type of workshops all of the time that we could call on to come teach us. I was looking for an easy way out. But like most things in organizing, there's no easy way out, and instead, process is a part of the lesson.
We decided to prioritize learning how ableism played out in ourselves and in the movement and to understand a bit of history. Through research and through Jacob's networks, it became quickly evident that a workshop and timeline like we were looking for didn't exist, or at least not within our networks and internet searches. We designed our own curriculum built off of various resources we came upon and our own creativity. Three folks from the group did the extensive and hard research of putting together a 150 year time line of disability rights struggles. They found a lot of really atrocious pieces of history and also some beautiful stories of resistance that came out of the struggle. It was a lot of work, but Jacob kept us motivated by constantly reminding us that "this was groundbreaking!".
Some horrific insights from the timeline:
-1851: Prominent physician in Louisiana identified two mental disorders peculiar to slaves, one which caused them to run away and one which made them lazy.
-1867: Ugly laws made it illegal for people thought of as "ugly" to appear in public. People who broke this law were charged a penalty. This law was in place in some states up until 1971! 1971 people! Coincidentaly to my life, the first law passed in SF and the last state that withheld it was Illinois.
-1880s: Illegal for deaf people to be taught by hearing impaired teacher
-1890s: People with mental disabilities sent to asylums where they were often outside, naked and starving
-1927: Buck v. Bell Supreme Coutry decision ruled forced sterilization for people with disabilities not a violation of rights. Over 60,000 people sterilized without consent. It is said that Hitler was inspired by the Eugenics movement in the U.S. and brought it to Nazi Germany.
Some gems of resistance:
-1935: League of Physically Handicapped formed in NYC to protect discrimination against people with disabilities by federal relief program
-1955: Group of African American patients at the "negro insane" maximum security unti in a Texas hospital rebelled against inhumane conditions.
-1962: Independent Living Movement begins when Ed Roberts, the first severely disabled person to go to college, was forced to live in the hospital because that was the only accesible housing on campus. A group called the Rolling Quads formed and won accessible housing and a office providing support for disabled students.
-1970s: Queer disabled feminist artist and activist collective emerge in the bay!
-1972: Rolling Quads creates independent living center run for and by people with disabilities. Today, there's at least 1 in every state and 40 countries!
-1977: 28 day sit in to ensure implementation of section 504, which stated that people with disabilities cannot be denied benefits and that all buildings that get federal money must be accessible.
-1980s: Group called ADAPT chains themselves to buses to bring awareness to lack of access in transportation for disabled folks
-1990s: Americans with Disabilities Act signed in to law
-2000s: Disability Justice movement takes shape, pushing root causes of disability injustice to the forefront while also creating spaces for these conversations
-2009: Students at Berkeley win fight to get disability history taught in schools in state of California
-2010: Group of disability activists set up camp in middle of Berkeley for 3 months to protest budget cuts to disability services
I find these gems incredibly inspiring, and hope you do as well!
Again, like most things in Braden, I leave with more questions than answers. How can I incorporate disability justice into all of the work I do? How can I make my space more accessible? How do I ensure spaces are accessible when planning events? How do I continue to educate myself? How do I begin to deconstruct the ableism that lives within my body and the way I interact with people with disabilities? One thing is clear however - this is work that I must do.
Interested in facilitating a workshop about disability justice in your community? Let me know and I'll send you the curriculum as soon as its finalized. margot.seigle@gmail.com.
Reflecting back on my last few years of organizing, I'm embarrassed to admit that I have not stopped to process how ableism plays out in the same ways I've analyzed other systems of oppression: how my being "able bodied" impacts everything from the way I get around, to my ability to get a job, to the ways I'm treated in social situations, to the way my body is seen as productive in society. There isn't really any part of the way I move through the world that is not impacted by me being able-bodied. For years, I worked with many disabled folks in Public Housing and did not bring that reality to the forefront of my work, often booking spaces that were not wheelchair accessible because they were free and convenient for others. I'm thankful to Jacob for pushing me to bring this reality more into my daily consciousness, but similarly to how Catalyst exist because white people should not rely on people of color to teach us about racism, able bodied people shouldn't always rely on people with disabilities to teach us about ableism. We need to teach ourselves too!
*Ableism: The normalization of able-bodied persons resulting in the privilege of perceived "normal ability" and the oppression and exclusion of people with disabilities at many levels of society. Normalized bodies are those that are considered in the planning and designing of society under capitalism, because those bodies are deemed profitable to those who rule capitalist society. Ableist thought leads to the planning and designing of communities in ways that deny access to people with disabilities and Deaf people. Ableism is also expressed through exclusive attitudes of non-disabled and hearing people.
As a result of the presence of this conversation in our weekly dialogue, the leadership team recommended that we self organize a workshop on disability justice to educate ourselves together. It was startling to learn that although the 25 of us in the program have been involved in movement work for a bit, I believe that no one except Jacob had attended a workshop before on disability justice. Myself and 4 others including Jacob stepped up to make this happen. I came into the planning assuming there was curriculum out there that we could adapt, or people who do these type of workshops all of the time that we could call on to come teach us. I was looking for an easy way out. But like most things in organizing, there's no easy way out, and instead, process is a part of the lesson.
We decided to prioritize learning how ableism played out in ourselves and in the movement and to understand a bit of history. Through research and through Jacob's networks, it became quickly evident that a workshop and timeline like we were looking for didn't exist, or at least not within our networks and internet searches. We designed our own curriculum built off of various resources we came upon and our own creativity. Three folks from the group did the extensive and hard research of putting together a 150 year time line of disability rights struggles. They found a lot of really atrocious pieces of history and also some beautiful stories of resistance that came out of the struggle. It was a lot of work, but Jacob kept us motivated by constantly reminding us that "this was groundbreaking!".
Some horrific insights from the timeline:
-1851: Prominent physician in Louisiana identified two mental disorders peculiar to slaves, one which caused them to run away and one which made them lazy.
-1867: Ugly laws made it illegal for people thought of as "ugly" to appear in public. People who broke this law were charged a penalty. This law was in place in some states up until 1971! 1971 people! Coincidentaly to my life, the first law passed in SF and the last state that withheld it was Illinois.
-1880s: Illegal for deaf people to be taught by hearing impaired teacher
-1890s: People with mental disabilities sent to asylums where they were often outside, naked and starving
-1927: Buck v. Bell Supreme Coutry decision ruled forced sterilization for people with disabilities not a violation of rights. Over 60,000 people sterilized without consent. It is said that Hitler was inspired by the Eugenics movement in the U.S. and brought it to Nazi Germany.
Some gems of resistance:
-1935: League of Physically Handicapped formed in NYC to protect discrimination against people with disabilities by federal relief program
-1955: Group of African American patients at the "negro insane" maximum security unti in a Texas hospital rebelled against inhumane conditions.
-1962: Independent Living Movement begins when Ed Roberts, the first severely disabled person to go to college, was forced to live in the hospital because that was the only accesible housing on campus. A group called the Rolling Quads formed and won accessible housing and a office providing support for disabled students.
-1970s: Queer disabled feminist artist and activist collective emerge in the bay!
-1972: Rolling Quads creates independent living center run for and by people with disabilities. Today, there's at least 1 in every state and 40 countries!
-1977: 28 day sit in to ensure implementation of section 504, which stated that people with disabilities cannot be denied benefits and that all buildings that get federal money must be accessible.
-1980s: Group called ADAPT chains themselves to buses to bring awareness to lack of access in transportation for disabled folks
-1990s: Americans with Disabilities Act signed in to law
-2000s: Disability Justice movement takes shape, pushing root causes of disability injustice to the forefront while also creating spaces for these conversations
-2009: Students at Berkeley win fight to get disability history taught in schools in state of California
-2010: Group of disability activists set up camp in middle of Berkeley for 3 months to protest budget cuts to disability services
I find these gems incredibly inspiring, and hope you do as well!
Again, like most things in Braden, I leave with more questions than answers. How can I incorporate disability justice into all of the work I do? How can I make my space more accessible? How do I ensure spaces are accessible when planning events? How do I continue to educate myself? How do I begin to deconstruct the ableism that lives within my body and the way I interact with people with disabilities? One thing is clear however - this is work that I must do.
Interested in facilitating a workshop about disability justice in your community? Let me know and I'll send you the curriculum as soon as its finalized. margot.seigle@gmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)