Meeting #9 10/1/2016

Next Gen Conference 

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Decolonizing our Organizing Work

“Decolonization” is more than a hashtag, it’s a commitment to reclaiming and celebrating our multiple, intersecting identities–ancient and futuristic.  Join us for a conversation to explore ways organizing for social justice looks, feels, and wins like when we center our work upon womanist, queer, immigrant, working class experiences.

Materials:

-butcher paper, markers

-world cafe questions

-poetry handout

-definitions handout

Agenda:

1. Opening Poem & Reflection: The mispronunciation or changing of our names is one of the first and most intimate ways we are colonized. For some of us an important step of decolonization is speaking our given names, all of them. For some folks, changing your name to more clearly reflect who you are in this world may be their form of decolonization.  (Lili) (2 mins)

i

learned

your whole language

but

you don’t even have

enough language

in you

to pronounce

my name

–d. kaur

1. Check in: (Violet) (10-15 mins)

• Speak Your Name (natural annunciation) – briefly, where does it come from?
• Pronouns (i.e. she/her/hers, they/them/theirs)
• A feeling you are having today

3) Intent of our workshop: (Lili) (5 mins)

Organizing spaces can be just as toxic as the dominant culture to people of color, women, trans folks, queer, working class people, immigrants etc. But if our hope is to fight for all of our liberations, then how should our organizing decolonize toxic leadership structures, work ethic, and relationships?  Lili will begin with her reflections about this summer’s feminism conference.

4) Definitions of language we will use in this workshop: (Violet) (5 mins)

• intersectionality, mujerismo, womanism, (Violet will create the sheet of definitions)
• Contextualizing our work and processes through these frameworks (Why?)

5) World Cafe Group Questions: (Lili) (7 mins per group)

How do we create spaces to decolonize our identities and relationships In two ways:

• what reflective practices do participants use to help youth explore their internalized oppressions? (Violet)*** find a poem
• what reflective practices do participants use to create spaces that celebrate and name their youth’s identities? (Lili)

6) Harvest Round: Create a toolkit of ways we all decolonize with our youth. (Lili) (10 mins)

Bring everyone back together, put up sheets for all to see, ask:

• What are common practices are emerging?
• Are there practices here people want to learn more about right now?

 

• Create a decolonization practices toolkit

 

*Optional* (Violet)

7) BrainStorm: how would decolonizing change our definitions of leadership, organizing outcomes (what we call a win), relationships, definition of power, the way actions are organized and carried out, etc.

8) Closing: (Violet)