Self-Empowerment & White Supremacy
Hi Friends,
As a coach & healer whose work is deeply rooted in diversity, equity & inclusion, I spend a lot of time thinking about the intersection of self-empowerment and white supremacy.
Self-empowerment for the sake of me feeling empowered just isn’t what I’m here for.
And– avoiding self-empowerment because it can feel nuanced or “because I have so much privilege” is rooted in white guilt, shame, and misogyny. I’m also not here for that.
Privilege =/= empowerment, wholeness, or humanity!
I believe empowerment and wholeness, humanity, is our birthright.
We all deserve it, and I don’t think we can have liberation without it
Here are three things that I believe to be true:
Every time a person who has historically been marginalized steps fully into their power and wholeness it disrupts the fucking system of white supremacy, and I’m always here for that!
Healing and empowerment to create more healing and empowerment are exactly what I’m here for. Healing and empowerment for the sake of facilitating community healing and empowerment, not for self.
I don’t believe that privileged folks have the capacity for community-based liberation work without healing and self-empowerment work. Because we engage from a place of lack. If I need to exert my dominance over others it is likely because underneath my own self-righteousness is a profound fear that I am deeply unworthy. Until we heal this shit and step fully into embodied empowerment and full humanity, I don’t think we can be effective partners for liberation.
We have to make friends with the parts of us that we’ve avoided– to heal our core wounds, to feel safe in our bodies and with our feelings, and to find our humanity and wholeness so we can meaningfully engage as allies and accomplices.
Until we start that work, we’re stuck in the same cycle. Each of us, and especially those of us with lots of privilege, handing over our humanity in order to benefit from the system. There is no wholeness in that. No joy and fulfillment. There is only sacrifice and harm.
We are relearning a legacy of harm– from our ancestors, histories, and our own socialization. And we don't have to live this way!
If you’re ready for more, there’s no better time to start. Let’s hop on a call to talk about the healing & coaching offerings that best align with your needs and goals.
With love,
Victoria
P.S. – I shared this resource for moving through discomfort and fear, I hope it’s useful!
