“Jeyanthy succeeded in deepening our understanding of topics like systemic oppression, privilege and intersectionality not only in our heads through the theory she taught us but also in our hearts. Her loving approach led to increased understanding and acceptance instead of the denial or resistance I have often felt when breaching these topics with a group of privileged people.” – Valerie De Re, ED of Greenpeace
I asked for feedback from the ED of greenpeace and she gave such a lovely testimonial, I decided to start this blog with that. When I facilitate such conversations and hold trainings on these topics (anti-racism, decolonizing minds, justice, equity and inclusion, etc.,), my motto is: I will hold your feet to the fire but I will do it with as much love as I can muster. This means, we will talk about the real things that need to be talked about without soft footing around issues. We need to face the 500 plus years of colonization and its consequent systems of oppression that we are all having to grapple with. Especially the people in the global south and the people of color in the global north who are bearing the brunt of the oppression and inequity.
We need to do this if we are going to have a chance to shift the thinking and modes of operating (business, governments, people) that has brought us to the brink of such heartbreaking levels of extinction of species, the climate crisis, etc., And we will do this without blaming, shaming or fault finding. Instead we will focus on compassion, facing truth, recognizing our different social locations and waking up to our positions of privilege and oppression, and wake up also to our power to change things.
We had the preliminary parts of this conversation in a 5 hour training we conducted with the senior management and members of the board of directors of Greenpeace, Belgium in late Oct, 2021. My co-trainer was Shanthuru Premkumar, a Lankan activist and trainer based in Brussels)
