Cultural Humility in Feminist Spaces // Sandra Yankah

American lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw described intersectionality as “the way multiple oppressions are experienced.” Identity is complex and includes many visible and invisible dimensions. Acknowledging the complexities within the identities women embody includes addressing the importance of intersectionality, and the role it plays in their lives and experience. Identity markers (e.g.,  race, gender identity, ability status, sexual orientation, and religion) can interact in a number of complex ways that create unique webs of prejudice, oppression, and privilege. The saliency of each of these identity markers can also differ drastically from person to person. Consequently, approaching interactions and service in a way that is helpful and socially responsible involves important consideration of these complexities. Particularly, because the approach taken within any interaction has the propensity to either contribute to oppressive forces by being dismissive domineering and arrogant or to create space for individuals to flourish.

Cultural humility is a term coined within the social work field that acknowledges the influence of both individual and institutional structures that contribute to and reinforce inequality (Borne, Cain, & Martin, 2014). This perspective is a departure from the longheld idea of making assumptions about identity and emphasizes an approach grounded in humility and curiosity. Within the social justice field, it is a common misconception that you have to completely understand and identify with an individual’s experience to be present, validating, and helpful. In many cases, adopting this perspective can actually be harmful and is indicative of a brand of activism rooted in discounting the perspective and agency of marginalized individuals.

Accordingly, approaching interactions with cultural humility acknowledges the complexity of intersectionality and the existence of privilege. This approach also asserts the importance of self-awareness, including an understanding and acknowledgment of how our own identities, experiences, and beliefs influence the way we perceive and interact with the world around us. Cultural humility in feminist spaces looks like asking questions, validating experiences, and creating space for people to define relevant aspects of their identity and experience. Within activist spaces, this approach calls on allies to behave like collaborators as opposed to experts or saviors. Incorporating cultural humility into everyday life provides a framework for interactions and practices that are culturally cognizant and just.

By Sandra Yankah

References

Fisher-Borne, M., Cain, J. M., & Martin, S. L. (2015). From mastery to accountability: Cultural humility as an alternative to cultural competence. Social Work Education, 34(2), 165-181.

Conflicts in Advocacy: The Fab 5 and Trisha Paytas//Kylie Steinhilber

Artwork retrieved from https://minutehack.com/opinions/the-advocacy-economy-who-needs-experts

As many people may notice, advocacy comes in many forms and from many folks. People speak to the issues that speak to them, and as some are noting, the “everyman” or as I prefer to say, the “everyperson”, are becoming more and more trusted over expert opinion (Anson, 2017). As an avid watcher of YouTube and consistent consumer of Instagram, I’ve watched people both “experts” and “laypeople” share their messages of advocacy for issues that impact their lives or lives of close others. Whether expert on a social justice topic or not, advocacy can run into conflicts– as humans are fallible – and mistakes are hard to correct given the stain that social media can leave.

Recently, I’ve noticed two instances in social media where I believe advocacy has encountered conflict. The first of which is the social media presence, or lack thereof, by the Fab 5 team from Queer Eye in the wake of Jonathan Van Ness’s (JVN) public moment of disclosure as a person living with H.I.V, coping with addiction, and a history of sexual trauma. In this moment, the other four members of the Fab 5 team, who are allies and friends to JVN, were remarkably silent on social media – failing to put out a public message in support of JVN. This is not to say that the Fab 5 team does not support JVN and his advocacy, as I am sure they do privately. Albeit behind the façade of social media, other factors may have been present that could have prevented their public support, this presents a tricky conflict in which allied support of one individual’s advocacy, such as JVN’s, was noticeably lacking. This leaves the question: When should celebrities be expected to show public support for those who take on the role of an advocate and when is private support enough?

The second moment of advocacy in conflict was in the public disclosure of Trisha Paytas on social media as a female to male transgender person. Trisha is known in the YouTube community for acting in such a way that attracts drama, making it hard for fellow YouTubers and fans to accept Trisha’s identity as told to them. Trisha’s disclosure catalyzed a slew of negative reactions from those who presumably belong to the same transgender community, of which Trisha would be a member. While I must not overlook Trisha’s use of language in the posted video as it tends to minimize and marginalize others in the transgender community, that is beside the point. The point here is that advocacy for the rights of one group is complex and comes with a variety of within-group differences in the ways advocacy should occur and what goals the community wishes to accomplish. Trisha’s truth, as told, may fly in the face of others’ truths. This leaves the question: How do communities approach conflicts in advocacy?

As with many things in our world, there is no absolute truth and never any absolute answers. However, these are important questions social advocates should actively attend to. When placed in a position of power, in which many people may be influenced by what you say, you must think critically about what you say or what you choose not to say. Both are important to the goals of promoting social change and equity among people.

Written by Kylie Steinhilber

References:

Anson, R. (2017, February 22). The Advocacy Economy: Who Needs ‘Experts’? Retrieved from https://minutehack.com/opinions/the-advocacy-economy-who-needs-experts