building anti-oppressive structures

What does it look like to bring more consciousness into establishing foundations that are in alignment with our values? One teaching on this topic was learning from forms of leadership in nature, like when birds fly in formation and take turns being in the lead. This concept is unpacked in the wonderful book Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown,  who writes about interdependence and decentralized leadership in organizing.

I also lift up the work of somatic coach and conflict resolution facilitator Kai Cheng Thom, who says that in our organizations and communities we need to be prepared for the conversation that we don't want to have. We will make mistakes, it cannot be avoided. Building the capacity to experience discomfort, move through conflict and learn from our mistakes while staying present and caring for ourselves are essential skills. Who doesn't feel like they could use more practice with this?!

Another idea from Thom that we touched on is the practice of meditating on two polarities or dichotomies that we are holding, allowing a third space to open up. This practice is embedded in traditions of mindfulness and invokes the liminal and threshold spaces that inform all of my work. Being both/and, in between, in nepantla, is rich with magic and power and I believe can guide us forward through the seemingly impossible times we are in.

Unpacking all of these concepts is doing the work of dismantling white supremacy in ourselves, our communities and our organizations. This is the work that we are here to do, in this space. Building more equitable and anti-oppressive structures requires that we identify and weed out the ways that we tend to inadvertently reproduce the systems we are trying to dismantle. 

A resource that I have found extremely helpful in this process is The Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun from their book Dismantling Racism, A Workbook for Social Change Groups. In this piece they describe aspects of enculturation that show up in our organizations such as: perfectionism, sense of urgency, defensiveness, either/or thinking, individualism, power hoarding and fear of open conflict. Oof. Relatable? As I shared last night, I am continuously noticing how these tendencies show up in myself and working to choose something different. 

One of the things that I believe can be so helpful about non-ordinary states of consciousness is that that they facilitate greater openness, insight and awareness of the structures that shape our minds. They invite greater neuroplasticity, the ability to learn new things and make new choices. When this process is held in a space of deep compassion, love, and the awareness that we are a sacred being, there is great potential for healing and change.