“Something just doesn’t feel right. I can’t figure it out, but something is off. I appreciate and connect with most of this, but there’s something missing.”
I’ve said this to myself a lot recently, particularly when reading books, articles or social media posts about social justice issues. Admittedly I tend to be hyper-critical (thanks fundamentalism), but even when intentionally separating superficial criticisms from that ever-accurate gut feeling, I am unsatisfied.
While I would be hard pressed to specify a singular or precise reason, two lessons/themes emerged. The first is that often the author of the thing leaving something out is a White person while the person who clarifies what is missing is a Person of Color. Reminder: I cannot fight any oppression from a privileged position without following people in the oppressed position- I will always inadvertently uphold my privilege. Second, the missing thing is often intersectionality.
Below you’ll find my #doodlenotes reflections about the March For Our Lives. Making these notes helped me parse out why I had not felt fully connected to the movement. They also showed me that there are strong voices pushing for intersectionality in this movement and gave me hope that assumptions about which type of gun violence does or does not deserve our attention can be overcome.
Love and Light,
LK
