The multiple, overlapping crises of 2020 have magnified the deep fractures at the heart of our social and political orders, both within countries and across borders. There are now countless working groups, task forces, and commissions to “build back better” and to reimagine our world anew. But the truth is these efforts are led by those who least understand the pain of injustice and the trauma of broken systems. To reimagine our world, we must center the voices and imaginations of those who have long suffered. This requires those with power to reckon with their privilege, and to understand their complicity in sustaining this broken world. Only by doing that can we help right historical wrongs and realize a future where all can thrive.
Understanding the fights we should fight and the roles we should play requires understanding the elements that comprise our identity (personal and professional) — and how they are constructed or sustained within structures of oppression. This is deep, personal, searching work, and it’s not easy.
But in this session we will create a safe space to do this together, and will respect wherever you are in the process. So whether you want to actively participate, or just to listen, we welcome you and celebrate your willingness to do this work.
This conversation is for anyone invested in a future where all humans can lead dignified, joyous lives, and especially recommended for those in positions to shape our world—from the hyperlocal to the transnational levels. We are in a period of righteous reckoning, and the tensions playing out in 2020 will only continue to grow in momentum. Those with privilege must be true allies and accomplices in revolutionary transformation.
Panthea Lee is the Executive Director of Reboot. She is passionate about driving unlikely collaborations between communities, activists, movements, and institutions to tackle structural inequity—and working with cultural institutions to build momentum for courageous change.
Panthea has led multi-stakeholder processes to tackle social challenges in 30+ countries. Her work has been featured in Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, New York Times, MIT Innovations Journal, Stanford Social Innovation Review. She serves on the boards of Development Gateway and People Powered: The Global Hub for Participatory Democracy.
Twitter handles: @PantheaLee @theReboot
Website: www.reboot.org
Related Untitled Agenda Theme: Reimagining power
Photo: Panthea Lee, reboot.org