Activity 2.1 | Anti-racism is not optional: Bodies are political

Radical self-love as leadership? Yes.

We have to recognize how systems of oppression are detrimental to us all. Social justice is not saviourism, it is not a pathway for “saving” anyone. Rather, it is a commitment to dismantling structures built on scarcity, built on domination, and built on the disconnection from the heart and the mind. It is a commitment to unearthing our humanity. As Murri artist, activist, and academic Lilla Watson writes, “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together” (United Nations, 2024, p. 112).

Child care managers and leaders committed to this work will recognize that, like radical self-love, leadership is an inside-out job. Scholars and activists writing about social justice in the 21st century direct us back to ourselves, toward our ways of knowing and being beyond our social conditioning. This is anti-colonial and seeks to course-correct our ideas of “progress”.

Listen to Sonya Renee Taylor's Podcast on Radical Self Love and record your thoughts in your journal. 

Reference

Pillow, H. (2020, October 7). Episode 33: Sonya Renee Taylor on Radical Self Love (Episode 33). In Become a Good Ancestor: With Layla F. Saad. http://laylafsaad.com/good-ancestor-podcast/ep033-sonya-taylor