Summertime Freedom
Like clockwork, summer invites conversations about freedom. Born of predictable and temporary sun-filled PNW skies and perhaps long daylight hours, freedom is the topic of many of our conversations. Even CTP talked of freedom in our newsletter last year, pointing to self-reflection as foundational to its existence. It’s a thing.
More obvious is the freedom conversation about Juneteenth and the Fourth of July. Both are federal, significant to global history, offered as reasons for PTO, and most importantly, both are rooted in freedom. This conversation is opinion-filled and often not well-informed, which perhaps we will cover in a future newsletter.
It is right on time, nonetheless. As we enter a season of reckoning, questioning, and debating, like we do every summer before a US Presidential election, 2024 conversations about freedom are a little louder.
What is it? Whose is it? How do you get it? How do you offer it, particularly in the workplace?
Freedom is access to opportunities and choice.
Freedom makes space for people to show up and experience their full identity transparently, without question. As Construct the Present champions liberating the workplace from racism, sexism, and homophobia, we have been invited (more than once) to celebrate surface-level freedom. In those instances, we offer continued learning. We suggest and lead organizations through culture shifts where behavior, practice, and policy support dismantling systems of oppression.
Both research and experience tell us that systems are the problem. And the answer, is our individual and collective action. Fannie Lou Hamer famously reminded us “Your freedom is shackled in chains to mine. And until I am free, you are not free either.” So, this summer, let our conversations of freedom go beyond the cookout, elevator, or breakroom.
Unpack how you affect freedom of self and others through action.
Personal Call to Action
The largest part of the work to shift our systems is personal. We are part of systems that uphold marginalization and often participate willingly and unconsciously, marginalizing folks in the process. As we strive for social justice, participation is most obvious in the things we never say out loud and in conversations with those closest to us. CTP defines social justice as the shared belief that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities while considering the unique and diverse perspectives each of us bring to the world and our life’s work.
So, reflect on your privileges and biases.
- How does your position amplify the voices of those marginalized in your community?
- What are you doing to learn and unlearn your assumptions and prejudices?
- Have difficult conversations with family and friends to share ideas and experiences; do they align with the world you wish to construct?
- Create a personal accountability plan to address areas where you can be more transparent and vulnerable.
There are many podcasts and books that can help with this process. We recommend starting with Constructing Perspective, a book authored by our founder. At CTP, we believe that social justice consciousness is a life-long process, so we provide the tools to learn, apply, and grow continuously.
Have those difficult conversations with family and friends. Share your experiences and listen to theirs.
Collective Liberation
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”
Audre Lorde reminds us the traditional metrics of success often fail to capture the essence of collective liberation; an interconnected and interdependent freedom. Collective liberation is more than us knowing we are only free together ithelps set a new metric.
We need to redefine success to include the well-being and empowerment of the most marginalized among us. Collective liberation is a departure from individualistic achievements to a communal sense of freedom as the standard. Until we figure it out in the spaces we work and play we cannot call our DEI initiatives and programs successful.
Success demands bold truth, daring action, and risk tolerance. It requires us to push into our discomfort, challenge the status quo, and work to construct the present where every individual can thrive. Progress can be acknowledged, and collective liberation is the goal. This begs us to stay conscious and active in change.
As we learn and unlearn, our inaction becomes complicity. We participate in the everyday motion of life, forgetting or ignoring those who are marginalized when it’s not top of mind.
- Advocate for structural change.
- Join the Movement for Structural Change
- Elevate Every Voice
- Empower Collective Liberation
Be a catalyst for creating environments where every voice is heard, every story is valued, and every individual has the opportunity to succeed. Our collective liberation depends on it.
Workplace Call to Action
Many full-time workers in the United States spend approximately 2,000 hours at work. With that much time at work, we spend considerable time with people who can shift systems, especially internally.
Performative allyship is reflected in company statements and initiatives. Transparent pay scales, equitable hiring practices, and leadership development programs specifically for underrepresented groups are not the norm. Creating an environment where everyone can express themselves without fear of discrimination or bias is possible.
Insist on regular DEI audits, share the findings openly with the entire organization and hold ourselves accountable to next steps. Develop a clear, actionable plan to address gaps and hold leadership accountable for progress. Measure success by how well your organization supports and uplifts marginalized employees. Implement mentorship programs, create brave spaces for dialogue, and ensure that leadership reflects the diversity of the workforce. Collective liberation should be at the core of your organizational goals and you can be vocal and active in making that happen regardless of role.
What will you do over the next month to help your workplace center collective liberation?
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