One Question, Multiple Eyes: Advocating for Others

Big Eyes, Big World introduces its new segment entitled 'One Question, Multiple Eyes'. The concept is simple, we'll be presenting a group of people (usually around 3 to 5) a question relating to relevant socio-political issues and ask them to present in a few paragraphs their opinion on the subject. The idea is to present you with the diversity of opinion and perspectives that makes up learning and progress and hopefully, despite the maybe controversial themes that may arise with some questions, we can find common elements to multiple voices. The first's week's question is the following:

Do you have to be a member of a community to advocate for their rights?

Victoria's Eyes

Victoria is a 22-year old postgraduate International Affairs student at SOAS with a very international background. Raised in Paris to a Brazilian mother and British father, Victoria's always identified to multiculturalism and diverse experiences as crucial to her life. She's particularly creative, actively writing, singing, drawing, and engaging in other artistic mediums. She's currently writing her dissertation and will soon be embarking in an internship at UNESCO. She's also one of the main contributors at Big Eyes, Big World.

As you might have perceived from the previous posts on this blog, I quite regularly study and advocate for the equitable access to human rights of a variety of people as unfortunately our world remains one of predominant ‘isms’ as opposed to one of unconditional tolerance. Yet, I do not regard the task of advocating for a community other than one’s own as an approach void of problematic notions and multi-layered complexities. While I do not believe that one must necessarily be a member of a community to stand by their side in their pursuit of equality and freedom, I also believe that one must be acutely aware of their position and perspective in the matters in which they are concerned.

Advocating for the rights of a community, especially if one is not from that community and even more so if originally a member of the community that oppresses them, should not mean your voice or perspective should resonate any louder than theirs. If anything, the art of advocacy is one that involves the practice of listening and understanding as much so as one of speaking. And before the process of advocacy can even begin to take place, the key ingredient to its success - especially for an outsider to the cause - is that of education. The majority of engrained prejudices that divide us globally are social constructions that, through their subvert discursive dominance, have educated our eyes to see only one (often flawed) perspective on people and the world. If we want to be able to stand alongside those who have not had the same experiences as us, we must first become open and aware of their own histories, trajectories, and realities.

The act of seeing the world only from the comforted boundaries of our own perspectives is very much that of privilege, whoever we may be. If you are male, and have never considered the subordination of women as anything more than biological difference, you are privileged in your ability to look at the world as what suits you. If you are white, and have never had to feel the insipid effects of structural xenophobia in your daily life nor have never had to even consider the term ‘race’ in anything more than your 4th grade Martin Luther King history class, than you are privileged in your ability to ignore what doesn’t comfort you. If you are straight, and have never considered the heteronormativity of your language and traditions and the subsequent isolation you might feel if not unable to fit in a limited ‘straight’ box, then you too are privileged in your experience of social life.

But being privileged, in whatever delineation that might entail, does not mean that one cannot grow aware of these constructed ideals and learn to understand and accept the painful realities of those who have not shared our experiences. I believe that it is this process of education, on both the vision of others and of ourselves, which is the most valuable way we can help a community advocate for their rights and equality. We should not use only our voices as a tool, if anything that can sometimes be to the detriment of the voice of the person you originally intended to help. We should be using our ears and our hearts as the most powerful tool than an outsider can have in the pursuit of acceptance and equality.

Adam's Eyes

Adam, who grew up in London with a mixed British-Guyanese background, has always been passionate about a diverse range of languages and cultures. Having graduated with a Bachelors in German and Portuguese, alongside the experience of living in Brazil, Adam is unique, passionate and intelligent and aims to create a career in the British Civil Service. He currently is completing his Masters at SOAS and writing a dissertation on civil society in Angola.

As is likely the case with most young Western liberals such as myself, I tend to sympathise with the aims and actions of social justice causes, even where I am not a member of the minority group for which they advocate. My knee-jerk answer to the question of whether we can advocate for the rights of groups to which we don’t belong would therefore be “of course”. If someone decides to engage in wholesale activism for a cause that is not their own, then surely their efforts, regardless of their identity, will promote that cause and should therefore be celebrated. And if the movement in question refuses to allow the individual to advocate for them, this would open the group to the criticism that they are behaving in an exclusionary manner. Among groups who purport to fight their own exclusion from societal privilege, the irony would be evident. White feminism, for example, is criticised as an exclusionary form of activism.

Not only is there an irony in excluding outsiders from a cause (irony in and of itself is not necessarily detrimental), there is also a tactical benefit to including them. The argument can be made that movements should actively seek out mainstream support. Minority groups by definition require the

allyship and solidarity of the majority in order to achieve structural or institutional change in their favour. This is why they centre around protesting and raising awareness among those who might otherwise not have realised or been convinced of the severity of the issue. One way of describing civil rights activism is as the process by which a minority lacking in power attempts to bring enough awareness of the injustice at hand to those in power, that the latter adjust the system. Many causes would probably have been lost had they not been able to count upon support and/or funding from outside their base of so-called beneficiary activists - those who stand to benefit directly from the group’s objectives.

All of this is not to say there are no potential dangers to outsiders joining the struggles of minority groups; it can certainly go too far. A Black Lives Matter stunt at London City Airport in late 2016 came under fire when photographs revealed its protesters were all white. While proponents defended it by claiming it was carried out under black leadership and demonstrated the admirable willingness of white allies to risk their own lives, it arguably undermined the credibility of the cause by making it at least appear that those who are not part of the oppressed minority had taken charge of the movement. And although I am reluctant to grant her too much column space, too relevant not to mention here is the case of Rachel Dolezal, whose white privilege allowed her to achieve prominence, fame, and a lucrative book deal - in place of other black women - by masquerading as black in the American civil rights space.

Can one ever feel a complete affinity with a cause that seeks to emancipate an oppressed group of which they are not a part? Can one ever know the true consequences of oppressive structures without living them? Probably not. One could point to the concept of “political blackness”, which states that non-black people of colour in post-war Britain have been subjected to the same racism as their black counterparts and can therefore claim membership of the same oppressed group. This is, however, a contested, not to mention very culturally specific, concept. In general, I would still say it is unlikely outsiders can ever completely understand. But to take this statement and conclude that they cannot advocate for those causes is, to my mind, seriously reaching. Beneficiary activists must always be the leaders of their movements. If the point is reached where the allies take over agency of the cause, we have come full circle and, even in resistance, are replicating structures of oppression. Allies have one principle responsibility: to always listen and never dictate.

Bella's Eyes

Bella is a 28-year old, very Spanish and was raised in a cherry-producing farm in Western Catalunya. Having previously been a business consultant and lived in a broad range of countries, Bella is outspoken, curious, and very apt at accomplishing whatever she sets her mind to efficiently and with care. Currently living in London and also completing her Masters in International Affairs, Bella aims to work to incorporate diversity and social justice principles into the world of business.

I’d say you don’t. Anyone who is willing to inform oneself enough about an issue, who has an open mind, wants to learn about the experiences of others and is passionate about making this world a better place can advocate for any community’s rights. Sounds simple but like everything else in life, it isn’t – so let’s try and unpack it a bit.

The fact that we do not live in our own flesh the oppression of those whose rights we are advocating for should not mean we cannot relate to them. At the most basic human level, we are social and empathetic beings who can and should put themselves in the position of others. Daily, we go through a myriad of situations that make us suffer in one way or another, and we can recall such pain in order to, if not fully understand, at least grasp how the other person is feeling – a black person who suffers the daily micro aggressions of white supremacy will likely and hopefully be able to relate to at least some of my daily struggles as a woman, and vice-versa. In my view, empathy is the super-tool to teach our kids, the key to unity because, quite frankly, I don’t see how we are going to achieve any social change unless we do it together.

On top of the very basic human understanding, there is a clear benefit to having in your lines people who are not part of your community, who can speak the language of those who are not yet on board and persuade them onto the movement – for example, I think it is interesting for feminists to have men on the team who can engage with those other men who are not sensitive towards their issue.

So we’ve established I am pro-allies. But can allies lead a movement? Well, to start with I think these movements are very rarely lead by one single voice. They are usually a cacophony of voices (which as a matter of fact tend to not be aligned with each other) that target different audiences, and I am fine with having a man loudly fight for my rights alongside several other people as long as he doesn’t pretend it’s his rights he’s fighting for or doesn’t tell me how to fight for my own rights.

That said, I think we cannot deny that there is a fine line between being a good ally and co-opting a movement, and one must be both aware and cautious of it. Rachel Dolezal’s case is the embodiment of the opposite of that: she crossed that line. She could have supported the movement as a white woman but chose to do it as if she had lived through the pain herself, which is untrue and unfair. Untrue because she is the daughter of two white parents and was brought up in a white household, and unfair because she took the place of those who have actually gone through the struggle themselves, thus silencing their voices, telling them how to fight for their own rights.

In a nutshell, I think it is perfectly fine and even positive to have people that are not part of your community advocate for your rights, as long as they do it respectfully and do not try to co-opt the movement.

Karim's Eyes

Karim has a particularly unique and diverse background. Born in Germany, raised in London, and of St.Lucian and Eritrean descent, Karim has been fortunate to experience the importance and value of diversity and multiculturalism first hand. After having had a long career in the entertainment industry, primarily as a dancer, he is now undertaking a postgraduate Masters in International Affairs and Diplomacy. He's founded the organisation 'New Beings', which aims to promote positivity and dismantle barriers for the Black-British community in London.

Like with any issue I believe there are many nuances to this debate. Do I personally believe you can advocate for a group you don’t belong to? Absolutely! So much so that I created a platform to educate and empower others to do so.

Being both black and Muslim I have experienced varying degrees of discrimination and navigating through it has often left me frustrated. I would use Facebook as a platform to speak out on issues such as the rampant Islamophobia triggered after the Brexit vote and after terrorist attacks across Europe or the killing of innocent black men in the US by the police, but I very quickly realized that Facebook was not the place to air these grievances as people were not able (or willing) to engage.

I created a discussion group in which to have a dialogue about race, religion, gender and how these and other social identities intersected and formed different lived experiences (particularly from the perspective of People of Colour in the UK). At first these were closed safe spaces meaning it would only include those affected by these issues, but I soon realised how this platform could be used as a way to reach out to those wishing to be allies and act as an educational/informative space. Rather than just preaching to the choir, we could reach out to the masses. So, through conversations these allies became informed with new perspectives on race/religion/gender etc. The hope is that they will go out, be advocates and continue fighting against inequality

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The first step to being a useful ally is acknowledging privilege. Using that privilege to help change norms is key to dismantling oppressive structures such as patriarchy, heteronormativity and racism. As a man, I have the power to bring about institutional and societal change since I benefit from a form of privilege which largely excludes women from power (race plays a huge part in this dynamic but for arguments sake let’s say I’m a white male) I should therefore use that power to help push for greater gender equality.

However, this is where there is a slight nuance to my argument. I do believe as an ally it is important that you know your place within any movement, from gender to racial equality and everything in between. For example, I recently became involved in the Women’s Empowerment movement within my department. As a man, I should absolutely be vocal about women’s rights and fight against gender inequality however, I need to be aware that I cannot set the tone of the conversation and be mindful that as I am not a woman there are forms of oppression I will not be able to relate to therefore attempting to take the lead on a conversation about oppression on women seems illogical.

This takes away the agency of the women involved in the movement and focuses on what I categorize as important as opposed to it being a women’s led initiative. It plays into the idea that minorities or those that are oppressed are not able to take care of themselves or look after their own interests and need allies to ‘rescue’ them, such as women needing a man to come and save the day or POC needing someone white to legitimise their movement.

The conversation should always be led by those that are oppressed, with allies offering their support alongside them. The end outcome should be to end discrimination on all fronts, so a way in which you can be a good ally is by learning how you can help the oppressed group you wish to advocate for. This includes trying to understand and learn from mistakes, because being an ally means you will not always understand the various systems of oppression, so listening to those who do will make you an even better advocate.

I think this poem by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller poignantly addresses the question:

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”

What the poem beautifully demonstrates is that it is our duty to advocate for groups we don’t belong too. All too often we draw up lines of division and distance ourselves from the persecution of others simply because of their gender, race, religion, sexuality or otherwise. As a human race, we must show compassion for one another and wherever we see an injustice we should stand up and take action, because in the words of another famous pastor named after Luther ‘an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’

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