There is no quick fix for racism, sexism, or any other “ism”. It is a long haul -- an accumulation of microsteps, establishing trust and collective commitment.
We all know that lasting change is the accumulation of smaller, micro changes in our daily lives. But when it comes to addressing racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, and every other form of “ism” or means of oppression, the idea of focusing on the 1% immediately elicits a response that it is “not enough”. I get it. And, you are right…sort of.
1% changes are not enough in the long term. 1% is not enough to eradicate the disease that is racism or sexism or any other form of oppression. 1% is less than Black people deserve. 1% is less than Indigenous people deserve. 1% is less than Trans folx deserve. 1% is less than people with mental and physical impairments and different abilities deserve.
AND, it is not about just doing the 1% and being done. There is no wiping your hands clean or freeing yourself of the work. It is, instead, about continuing to think about the graded and sustainable changes you can continue to make in your daily lives to uproot, dismantle and rid yourself of the internalized messages of bias and oppression for the long haul. Anyone can take to social media for a week or even a few months. Anyone can stand in the streets and join a protest. These are important marks of the 1, 2, 3% changes.
think about the graded and sustainable changes you can continue to make in your daily lives.
And though they seem big (I mean, collectively, they are), we have to keep thinking about that next 1%. See, the microassaults are much easier to identify. But we need to consider the ways in which we are, every day, contributing to microinsults and microinvalidations that are also detrimentally affecting people. Those smaller invitations to go deeper are where long-lasting and sustainable change will begin to grow so that we don’t just disrupt a system but we can actually start anew and begin to build systems that truly represent the truth that LGBTQA+, Brown, Poor, Indigenous, Houseless, Differently-Abled and Black Lives Matter.
I often tell myself these 1% changes feel meaningless when I am doing them. We got some new books for Everly about Ramadan and how to be an Antiracist Baby. So what? — that is not stopping people from dying in the streets or having their rights stripped away from them.
Yes, what I am saying is true. That alone is not enough. But it is a sustainable and meaningful change that I can commit to, to make sure Everly grows up seeing people who look different from her parents or who live different lives. And it can start a ripple. We can gift these books to friends with young kids. We can have hard conversations with people about why we are not going to keep the books they gave Everly or why we won’t let her watch or wear certain things that have been appropriated from other cultures. We can dare to talk about the ways that we have engaged in “isms”, reflect in these truths, and unlearn these beliefs. And we can do the work to find organizations making a meaningful impact in turning the ripples in a new direction.
No, the books alone are not enough. But they are better than standing on the sidelines watching and saying, “we need to do something about this.” Or, taking a deep dive on a social issue because I “should”, or if it gets me more likes on social media, or to appease my own privileged guilt only to slowly pull away from it once the larger social conversation seems to die down or change.
Over time, and by removing my ego from the narrative -- meaning I don’t have to make an IG post every time I do something that is not oppressive, the collection of all of these micro-changes will tip the scales inside me to start addressing, dismantling and breaking down my internalized biases that will help contribute to the greater ripple effect of change that will lead us to our goal.
So, I put it to you. What is your next 1% change? How can you continue to commit to the long-term goals and lean into your discomfort and distress to be a part of the change?