Phases of Social Justice Awareness
Hi Everyone,
As some of y’all know, I’m offering a two-day in-person training this coming June 20-21 in partnership with Network for Edwork and Martha Hurwitz.
Social Justice Stewardship is designed for folks who are interested in developing the personal and relational skills needed to steward SJ work across time.
When I think about stewardship, I think about taking care of what’s happening among people. I also think about taking care of the social and emotional space that supports people to do their work. Good stewardship is essential to any movement’s long-term sustainability and impact.
In this newsletter, I want to delve into what I see as the phases of social justice awareness, and I want to talk about why I think they’re important to consider for those of us interested in being good stewards.
I want to acknowledge that the phases of SJ awareness I will develop here are very loosely based on Arnold Mindell’s four phases of process and Deep Democracy. I also want to acknowledge that these phases are based on my personal sense of myself and others over the years. Many will disagree with the way I articulate them. Please feel free to share your feedback with me at james.boutin@mailfence.com
Five Phases of Social Justice Awareness
I currently see five phases of SJ awareness (and one pre-phase), and I define them by their relationship to learning and hope.
Pre-Phase is the phase we’re in before we recognize injustice as a serious issue. It’s characterized by innocence and joy for being alive. Learning comes through exploration and challenge. Whether we can be hopeful about a different human future is not yet in question.
Phase 1 is characterized by a sense of ignorance, confusion, and horror.
In this phase, we're beginning to learn about injustice. We don’t identify as people who know much about what’s going on or what to do about it. We seek out opportunities to learn with humility.
In phase 1, we can use the ignorance, confusion, and horror we feel at this newfound injustice as experiences that motivate our learning. They drive us to attend trainings, ask questions, and deepen our understanding.
In phase 1, we sometimes experience a roller coaster of hope and hopelessness. We are learning more to determine whether hope is worth our time.
Phase 2 is characterized by a sense of grievance, righteousness, and outrage. (Consciously or unconsciously, I believe guilt is also often a strong experience in phase 2.)
In this phase, we know enough about the issue to have opinions about why it’s happening and what needs to change. We identify as people who know what’s going on, and we spend time educating others. I suspect phase 2 is the phase most people think about when they think the stereotypical social justice warrior.
In phase 2, we experiment with using our power as activists to continue our learning. For example, we may speak out at a city council meeting, join a protest, or begin organizing work. These new experiences will ultimately lead us to influencing others, building networks, and deepening our understanding of the issue.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, I would characterize phase 2 as a phase of hopefulness. We may not always feel hopeful while we’re in phase 2, but our actions demonstrate a belief that if we engage with the issue, we can change it.
Phase 3 is characterized by disillusionment.
There often comes a point in phase 2 when we stumble into an experience that helps us see behind the veil. We encounter injustice on a scale we hadn’t yet been able to imagine. And this experience is a massive blow to our sense of knowing. What we used to think was an issue that just needed more activism, we now understand as a centuries-long crisis that almost certainly will not be resolved in our lifetime. There can even be a feeling like, “Nobody can do anything about this. It’s just too big."
In phase 3, we can use our sense of disillusionment to ask deeper questions not only about the injustice we’re fighting, but also about our purpose in life. It’s a time for reflection and regrouping. We are often faced with the question of whether social justice is even worth fighting for, given how enormously stacked against us the odds seem to be.
Phase 3 is characterized by a gut punch of hopelessness and a shift in our sense of identity. Whether we were aware of it or not, we thought in phase 1 or 2 that our actions might have a meaningful impact. In phase 3, we seriously doubt whether our actions matter at all.
Phase 4 is characterized by profound grief.
The disillusionment of phase 3 can force us to encounter new depths within ourselves as we attempt to navigate some of the largest horrors in the world. We realize we need to begin accessing a more profound version of acceptance than the one that mainstream society understands as complacency. It involves letting go of fantasies we have about how our world is or how it should be. It means learning to respond to the world we actually have.
The grief that comes with accepting what’s happened, how involved we are, and how much effort it will take to change things can become a powerful means of gathering wisdom. Through profound grief emerges new access to creativity, a new sense of self, and a new depth of emotional or spiritual capacity.
Hope and hopelessness almost lose a sense of meaning in phase 4. People in phase 4 tend to be more concerned with dealing with what is rather than the question of hope.
Phase 5 is characterized by steady, compassionate witnessing.
In this phase, there is a commitment to SJ work, but it's more detached than in phase 2. There are fewer illusions about what’s involved and what’s possible. In phase 5, we think outside the binary of good and evil. Instead, we see injustice as a complex conflict longing to resolve itself across various levels of society.
Phase 5 invites wisdom through nonjudgmental witnessing. There are fewer triggers. A heightened ability to see what’s actually going on allows for more effective interventions.
There is a soft sense of hope in phase 5. It stems from an ability to see extraordinary beauty in human nature, if not the systems that humans have built.
A Note About the Phases
None of the phases is inherently good or bad. Each phase is needed for our personal growth, and it’s good to encounter people who are in different phases than we’re in.
Also - I don’t think the phases are strictly linear. And... we’re in different phases in relationship to different issues. Regardless of how experienced we are with SJ learning, there are always dynamics of injustice we’re unaware of, which, when we encounter them, will put us right into phase 1 with that particular issue.
My ideal is to value all of the phases, and to value all of the people around me who are in momentarily different phases than myself - because we can learn from each other.
Problems arise when we over-identify with a particular phase. We can have access to all of the phases, and if we are spending too much time in any one of them, we will likely benefit from the support to access the others more often.
Why Do the Phases Matter?
Being aware that people go through different stages of SJ awareness is particularly important for people who are interested in stewardship.
SJ work is often dominated by an appreciation for phase 2. Phase 2 is great. It’s super needed, and people interested in SJ work tend to know that phase very well.
However, if we only appreciate phase 2, we will be unable to effectively steward the work over time. Stewardship will require people in different phases working together to care for SJ work and the spaces needed for it to unfold.
Interested in Joining Us on June 20-21
If you are interested in this idea of stewardship or phases of SJ awareness, you may want to learn more about the two-day training in June. You can learn more and register by clicking here.
You’re also welcome to reach out any time with questions, comments, or disagreement by emailing me at james.boutin@mailfence.com
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about some of my ideas.
Lots of LOVE,
James
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