TAKE 2: How can I use my privilege for social change? On political awakening

Hello Cosmic Anarchists!

I am SO sorry for that weird tech glitch in the video I sent out this morning. Hopefully, 2nd times a charm. It better be or I might cry. My people pleasing, fawn and fixer tendencies are at an all time high. All trauma jokes aside— I started my new job as a clinical fellow at Vanderbilt this week so it has been hectic but when majority of my day time is consumed by medicine or research, I become more excited to come home to you so to say and write, teach, work with folks, etc. This newsletter, my political education & praxis mentoring has been a solace & glimmer of hope for me. Thank you for your patience, kindness & support <3

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In light of Roe v Wade being overturned (the federal right to an abortion in the United States being taken away), just as with any highly publicized event of injustice, there is a wave of some political awareness in people who were previously deeply invested in upholding & turning to exploitative, oppressive systems to save them. However, if this newfound spurred interest in social justice isn’t nurtured sustainably, it merely ends up being a distraction as neoliberals pop up at protests or post black squares on IG to accrue social capital followed by a rapid return to everyday apathy.

In general, however, when people are at their earliest stages of political radicalization, they are seeking out resources to try to help. So I wanted to address these questions:

How can I leverage my privilege? If I’m starting to realize how oppressive systems dominate us & how I’ve been socialized to uphold them, where can I get started & help? How do I get involved in political activism?

If you haven’t already read it, I wrote a rant about things to keep in mind to not let neoliberalism drain your energy or misdirect it to futile things that are meant to distract you like electoral politics & efforts to reform existing systems of oppression-

wokescientist

A post shared by Dr Ayesha Khan═طبیبہ عائشہ خان (@wokescientist)

Firstly, humility is key because despite what you think you know, there is much more that you don’t know and will spend a lifetime learning if you are open-minded & truly willing to do whatever it takes. By that I mean- activism is about building self-awareness & practicing implementing social justice values in your daily life & relationships. You won’t have all the answers overnight & have to be committed to the struggle for collective liberation which is in itself what gives you meaning & purpose. Activism isn’t about saving someone else- it’s about building community, solidarity & leading with compassion by realizing you are just as capable of violence or harm as anyone else. It is a constant practice of accountability in community.

But first some quick updates:

• My calendar availability is now open & updated thru the months of July-October for folks interested in 1 on 1 sessions or group consultations!

• I also have an option for folks to schedule 1 on 1 sessions WITH a partner or a loved one, so check it out if you are interested!

• Part I of the Capitalism 101 group workshop series focused on understanding internalized capitalism in order to cope & divest from it as best as possible. You can still purchase access to the recording of the full ~2 hour workshop & presentation with additional resources here.

  • I wanted to do a quick poll (I think it might only work in the substack app so get it if you have not already!) about what topic you’d like my next workshop to focus on since I’m between two topics:

PS if you voted before, pliss vote again if possible lol

Below is a list of basic resources on anarchy & abolition- the two political frameworks I believe that are focused on praxis (daily application of social justice values):