Leading Forward, Together
November 12, 2024
We are deeply divided as a country, yet our futures remain inextricably linked.
In this moment we are called to embrace complexity; to stand against words and actions that dehumanize and cause harm, while also working to expand the circle of human concern to include everyone. We can demand justice without dividing the world into us and them.
This is not easy, yet, history shows that our greatest movements for justice often grow from moments of setback. As Coretta Scott King said, "Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.”
At the National Equity Project, we hold firm in our vision of a public education system that is a model for the multiracial, pluralistic democracy we want to live in—one where every young person is seen, respected, cared for, and contributes to shaping their future. We built our organization on the belief that no one can do this work alone; we need each other to create a more just world. Working across our real and perceived differences is not always the easy or obvious choice, but we believe it is the only way forward.
One of the most important things leaders can do now is create spaces of sanctuary and belonging, places where every person is seen and welcomed in their full humanity. Building these spaces will require us to work together across differences and create environments where we can embrace both possibility and uncertainty.
How might we create communities where everyone experiences and honors our inherent interconnection? Can we stay curious and caring, even when we feel angry, scared, and unsure?
The Liberatory Design Mindsets remind us of how to be together, especially when it’s hard. These mindsets are an aspiration, an invitation, and a provocation for how we resist and dismantle systems of oppression, and engage with one another in ways that support us in co-creating the world that we and our young people deserve. Here are a few that resonate in this moment:
Focus on human values. Seek liberatory collaboration. Exercise creative courage. Work with fear and discomfort. Attend to healing.
Working together in new, sometimes unfamiliar and uncomfortable ways can create the conditions for collective wisdom and courage to emerge… and leaders need to be whole and grounded for this work. Notice and reflect on what you need in order to show up well and ready for the work ahead: step back as needed, let yourself feel your emotions, connect with loved ones and community. Move your body, breathe, hydrate.
“Lean into the soft, joyful, contemplative places inside. Listen so that the light of truth can be revealed. Remember joy, laughter, song, silence. Be peace. Be love. Be still.” - LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Rest as a Practice of Resistance and Freedom
Amid the threats and uncertainty, there are still opportunities to reimagine and redesign our future, not by retreating to familiar patterns, but by being courageous, compassionate, and creative in the ways we come together now, and in the days to come.