WORKING TOWARDS ANTI-OPPRESSION & EQUITY

I am a Filipina-Canadian woman who resides on stolen land in Turtle Island, a place largely built by enslaved Africans who were themselves stolen from their own homelands and who continue to be brutalized, beaten, and murdered under an oppressive system that systemically marginalizes various minority communities. My professional focus on the social impact space is an intentional decision against clinging to the latest buzzwords or paying lip-service. It is a difficult and ongoing commitment to (un)learning my role and responsibility in dismantling systems of oppression and pushing for a just and equitable world every single day.

Throughout my career, I have actively chosen to work with organizations and businesses that align with these values and that strive to fundamentally change our world for the better. I’ve created this section of my website because it is important to me that potential clients, collaborators, employers, and/or partners know exactly where I stand and know that I will hold each of us accountable in this work. We may stumble along the way, but that is the only way forward.

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MY 3DR APPROACH

DECOLONIZE

As a woman who was born in the Philippines – a country first colonized by the Spaniards then by the Americans – and who then migrated to Canada, a land stolen and colonized by the British, I have absorbed the colonial supremacist mentality and upheld it throughout my life. This internal work of (un)learning this behaviour and thinking is the first and most necessary step to addressing systemic change.

DISRUPT

Change does not happen overnight. It happens through ongoing and intentional acts of resistance. Whether that is speaking up when injustice presents itself in the boardroom or aligning with a business that is shaking up an industry’s problematic standards of practice, there are many different ways we can act to disrupt systems of oppression.

DISMANTLE

There is no industry or aspect of our society that is immune from oppressive systems. My work aims to challenge organizations and businesses to address not only individual biases, but systemic issues – that is, practices, policies, and norms that reinforce or perpetuate inequity for specific groups of people. This means moving beyond calls for representation and inclusivity, and towards structural change.

REBUILD

What happens once we have decolonized, disrupted, and dismantled these systems of oppression? We must reimagine and rebuild equitable futures for our world. My work with Living Hyphen is my contribution to our shared future.

As Audre Lorde so powerfully wrote, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

RESOURCES

Throughout the years, I’ve collected articles, books, essays, movies that have fundamentally shaped my mind as an activist and advocate for social justice and healing. These are just a few of the media that have impacted me greatly and that I continually revisit in my education.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the things to read about on these topics. It should also be noted that none of these resources are perfect themselves, but that I have learned something important from each one. This is my own personal list - a way for me to archive my own journey and growth. Dismantling oppressive systems is a life-long journey that requires constant learning and unlearning and I hope to continually add to this list as I learn more.

ALLYSHIP, SOLIDARITY, AND ANTI-OPPRESSION

The Anti-Oppression Network - a coalition of individuals, grassroots groups, and community organizations dedicated to grounding our work towards liberation in the principles of decolonization, anti-oppression and intersectionality.
Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
A Quick Guide on “Calling In” problematic behaviour and having tough conversations about power and oppression.
Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider.

INTERSECTIONALITY

The urgency of intersectionality – A TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw
The Feminist Art Collective – a collective of artists, activists, and academics in Canada showcasing like-minded, multi-disciplinary art with a focus on intersectionality.
Intersectionality Matters! podcast

colonialism and colonization

Resources on Indigenous allyship from Living Hyphen
Future Ancestors – a Black and Indigenous-owned, youth-led professional services social enterprise that advances climate justice and equity with a lens of ancestral accountability.
Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World by Dr. Anu Taranath
Pinay Power II – a gathering of self-identified Pinays (Filipinas), including queer and transwomen, in the diaspora. The first Canadian academic and community conference bringing together Filipina scholars, activists, artists, community and cultural practitioners.

ABLEISM

**Need to expand my knowledge and understanding here.

BatMan on This American Life
Literally Titanium by Ophira Calof
Crip Camp on Netflix
Made to Be Broken on This American Life
Disability Visibility, edited by Alice Wong
Care Work:Dreaming Disability Justice Show by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

HEALING