Reflections on my positionality
There are lots of reasons why understanding my reflections on positionality may be important for you, not least so that you can make choices about whether or not engaging with me feels safe enough.
Below, I share some of these to give some insight. This is a conversation I am continually engaging in with myself, and I welcome the voices of others whilst recognising that the burden is not on them to steer or educate me.
Transformative justice and its practices have deep roots in indigenous cultures across the globe, and have evolved through and with the work of black, queer, disabled, and immigrant communities for whom state responses to harm are violent and life-threatening. As a white-read person I do not experience anti-black racism, and am less likely to face police violence. Part of my reflective practice is asking myself: where can I put my proximity to whiteness to work? This includes acting as a bridge for others to access spaces that might be more gatekept, or - conversely - stepping into spaces that might be less safe for black or brown practitioners. There is no rigid rule for navigating these questions, and I consider each potential offer of work through this lens, whilst committing to uplifting the work of other organisations and facilitators, who may be better placed.
I identify as queer, and consider queerness to be a political position. My queerness and my transformative practice are entwined.
I am also self-identified autistic which, for me, is primarily about the way in which I process information, and is at the root of a lifelong passion for relational work as justice work.
On the professionalising of transformative work:
There is an argument that this work should never be paid, because if we are dependent on the work to live then our motivation is shifted. Alongside this, there is also a systematic undervaluing of this type of work, leading to burnout. I try to navigate this tension through a combination of paid and unpaid work.
My day rates as a freelancer are on a sliding scale, from £250-450 depending on the size of the organisation. My rate takes into account that there is grass roots work that I do, for example community accountability processes and community skill sharing, for which I don't charge.
I know that not everyone is able or allowed to professionalise these practices. I am very happy to share my resources, connections, examples of policy writing, or experiences with any other practitioners as well as uplift your work.