My politics are progressive and I am a feminist. I love
Bernie Sanders and the progressive economic agenda. I am extremely excited
about our progressive movement – what an amazing group of energized people
working together to advance our shared ideas!
Unfortunately, I get a lot of nastiness when I share that I am a Hillary Clinton
supporter, which I have been surprised and hurt by. I’ve had friends, colleagues
and family members question my progressive values. Some have resorted to trolling
my social media accounts instead of connecting with me personally. As a person
who is comfortable with the uncomfortable, I am doing my best to learn from
this process while avoiding being angry. Some days it’s not easy, but I keep
plugging along because it’s imperative we come together if we truly want to
make progressive change.
So, how do we include and inspire others to join the
progressive movement? Here’s what I’m working on and I invite you to join me (I
am far from perfect, so please note that mistakes will be made).
How can we be more inclusive while advocating for a progressive political agenda?
Be mindful of the language we use.
Language has power, so let’s educate ourselves and do our
best to use non-discriminatory language. If you find that someone is using
bigoted language, kindly point out their error without attacking the person and
making folks feel like they are “bad” – focus on the behavior, not the person.
It may be tempting, but do your best to not reflect negative behavior back by
using bullying language. Instead, reinforce positive behavior to help build
confidence. As the old expression goes… You catch more flies with honey than
you do with vinegar.
Have issues-based conversations with friends who are interested.
Invading someone’s personal space by making a rude comment
isn’t the way to engage people and get them to change their minds (I have done
this and immediately felt guilty… there was a reason I felt that way – I was
being a bully – not proud of this BTW).
Use humor.
If tension is high, make a joke to lighten the mood. It
gives folks time to take a breath and relax a bit. There are pitfalls to using
humor, such as the use of insensitive or hurtful jokes. For example, if someone
has recently died humor is not an option. Yes, it was too soon.
What’s the difference between Being Sassy and Being Rude?
Being funny or irreverent about an issue can be effective
when you are seen as bold and confident; however, when paired with harmful
adjectives those attempts to engage backfire. An example is calling out elected officials using a bit of sass versus hurtful adjectives:
Creating space for others.
For me, leadership is about intentionally creating the space
for others to thrive and to shine. It’s beautiful when someone shows that you
are valued by leveraging power and privilege to create space. It’s easier to
come to consensus with someone who values what you have to offer, even when
they don’t agree with you.
There’s plenty more where that came from, friends.
Peace to you and yours –
Jackie
