On our bookshelf: Unapologetic by Charlene A. Carruthers
“It is within the spaces of imagination, the dream spaces, that liberatory practices are born and grow, leading to the space to act and to transform.”
-Charlene A. Carruthers in Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements, p. 25. See more, purchase, or borrow.
What changes to the system do you dream of? What do you feel like you should be doing about it?
Carruthers makes the case that while we may not get everything we dream of, if we can’t imagine it, we definitely aren’t going to get it. Imagination is a first step and in Unapologetic she then takes us through next steps on how we engage ourselves and with others.
Carruthers challenges us to identify our own interest in the issues we take on. Not to act for others because it is what we “should” do for them, but to connect to our own personal stake in the future that we want to see. She says:
“…be wary about claims of selflessness regarding the shared work. Selflessness…is devoid of someone’s vision for the world and their place in it. Self-interest, on the other hand, situates you, your vision, and your values in relationship with others…Knowing one’s self-interest can be the difference between staying home and attending a weekly organizing meeting. Interrogating self-interest allows us to identify what’s at stake for ourselves, even when we are not the most directly impacted. What is your self-interest? ” (Carruthers, 2018, pp. 66-67)
Taking time to really ponder her prompts has grounded my volunteer work and kept me coming back week after week. She asks: Who am I? Who are my people? What do we want? What are we building? Are we ready to win?
Collaborating around an issue that we deeply care about can be extremely rewarding. However, any time a group of humans is working together, there is potential for interpersonal tension, challenges, and disagreements that distract from why we initially came together. Carruthers has seen this first hand (as have we) and suggests a way forward:
There are three collective commitments our movements must take up to regenerate:
- Build many strong leaders
- Adopting healing justice as a core organizing value and practice
- Combating liberalism with principled struggle
(Carruthers, 2018, p. 64)
The third commitment is about leaning into discomfort, stepping back from our initial judgements, and being willing to “ask questions and investigate before believing anything that sounds out of place” (p. 83). It means making sure "our conclusions about people, events, and organizations are as sound as possible, grounded in observation, and recognizing that even then our assessment may not be valid.” (p. 84).
A guide for imagination, identifying our personal stake in change, and how to engage with each other, Carruthers’ Unapologetic has a solid spot on our bookshelf. Stay tuned for more on our bookshelf as we create personal action plans with Shaun King's Make Change.
