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Reflection Journal #4: Context for Social Justice Action Project

In my own reality and in the context of this course, what are my realistic options for personal and professional social justice action?

1. Personal:
Get involved:
-attend events, rallies, workshops that keep challenging my assumptions
-make friends with people who are different than me, or at least spend time with them. Understand their points of view and how that makes me uncomfortable or reaffirms what I believe. Explore that discomfort through journaling, conversation, etc.
-Continue to read topics on social justice or related to current events
-Find one new person to follow each month on Twitter around the topic of social justice

2. Professional
-Take advantage of the amazing events and speaker series and panels offered on campus ( I work at Seattle University)
-Don't be afraid to engage in dialogue around these topics, as long as I'm respectful and aware, I can learn something from it.

What barriers or challenges exist in looking at this action? How might these be overcome, both individually and structurally?

I think personal fear has a lot to do in overcoming these challenges and actually getting uncomfortable and being challenged. I usually don't engage because I'm worried I'll say something or do something that will offend the other person, but the alternative of not talking is worse. Sweeping things under the rug or not acknowledging my blind spots doesn't make anything better, it only encourages my comfort. I am going to have to work hard to be uncomfortable and get support from people who I know are champions in this area.

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Reflection Journal #3: Foundations for Social Justice Action

What am I willing to stand for in the context of social justice and why? How do I envision myself doing that?

This is a challenging question for me. I am want to be able to say I'm willing to stand for a variety of different causes that are close to my heart, specifically child immigration issues that are going on right now, the childbirth space that I'm passionate about, racism and maybe I am willing to stand for them, but I don't really know how I would do that.  I think that's why I have such a hard time is because I don't know how to make an impact. I know that if something happens in front of my I'll stand up and say something because I've done that before, but does that make a difference in the long run or support social justice. For me, next steps would be talking to someone who is more active or has more experience in with social justice and seeing what they do. My interview with Carrie helped, but I want to know more. I still don't really know how someone as an outsider can make a difference or impact.

How have I affected change with regard to this issue in the past?  OR What would I do if I could do anything without limitations? (hint: dream big)

I have not affected change in any of these issues in the past. With no limitations I would donate lots of money to the causes I hold dear, join the rallies, foster a child caught in the immigration detention centers, make food for those in shelters, and give time to figuring out what is really needed by agencies that support the causes I'm interested in. I would also like to see a community group started in my area for moms without social groups, who don't know other moms or who do not have support people to help them out.  Something to connect women to remove the isolation from birth.

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Reflection Journal #2: Personal Interest in Social Justice.

What issues do I truly care about within the realm of social justice?

The feminist perspective and how politics and political agendas are affecting and threatening my rights as a woman comes to the top of mind. It's something that I am worried about and think about all the repercussions that will occur if further de-funding, limits on access, or the overturning of Roe v. Wade were to happen or continue happening.  The video from WuDunn was particularly pertinent to where I am currently at because I think much of what she said was truth and I really can't help to think that if women were fully liberated, education, and supported how much better our society would be. It also made me reflect quite a bit on my privilege. Yes, I am a women, but I am a white heterosexual cisgender woman. So while I experience certain threats to my existence because of my sex, I also simultaneously reap the benefits of my other privileges and still have the ability to work towards more equality within my own gender.

What, within my chosen professional field, especially draws me to this work?

Nothing in my current field really draws me to this work, but my planned future work will be intertwined with this field.  I plan to work in women's health in the childbirth education/maternal health systems field to improve access and education actual tailored for adults from a diverse set of backgrounds and preferences.

How is it that I have come to care about these issues? (hint: your previous journal submission may have begun to touch on this).

I've always wanted to be a mom and grew up with a neighborhood family that grew up very poor yet had a LOT of children. I was also curious about what kind of support or lack thereof they received. As I got older and moved to a more diverse population, I started reading about the differences in medical care between populations as well as government funded healthcare versus private insurance companies and the stories kind of shocked me. I worked at Bastyr University for a while where I was the program coordinator for the Midwifery department and I just got sucked in! I didn't resurface my passion for this area until I started by program here at SU and was given the chance to explore different areas of education. I'm now working on a business plan with a partner to reshape the idea of a birth coach and the education provided to women and their support people. Much like the sapling I posted before that's kind of where I feel I am right now, ready to grow in so many areas!

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Reflection Journal #1: Social Justice Identity

Who am I as a social justice educator? What experiences and social/cultural experiences/contexts have shaped who I am?

I am a novice and don't really consider myself a social justice educator... I mean, at least not in a way that I would be comfortable describing myself as such. I think many of the values that I hold are in line with social justice oriented thinking-"consideration of and sensitivity to all voices and concerns" "... justice existing both in human thought and in deed" (SJ:TIM, p.2) and about examining my role in society in keeping others down or helping others achieve justice and equity.

One experience that has shaped my role is the fact that I grew up in a very small town in rural Idaho, the same town as the Aryan Nation Richard Butler founded and built a compound on. This, KKK members as parades, and confederate flags flying off the back of pick ups, were all regular occurrences of my youth. While I was lucky that my parents are liberals and extremely against this line of thinking, not all my friends and family were. I grew up with messages of hate, that differences defined worth, and that my white skin made me better than others. Even though I wasn't "trained" to believe these messages, there is a certain amount that you unconsciously absorb, even when you're trying not to. It takes a lot of effort and reflection to notice when thoughts work their way and become assumptions. I still catch myself to this day thinking something and asking myself where the belief came from. This experience makes me want to understand and contribute to social justice in whatever way I can.

What metaphor or image best describes where I am today with regards to my professional work for social justice?

I think the image of the sapling best describes where I am at in my professional work for social justice. I understand the concept and the roots have taken hold, but I am still growing and figuring out how social justice will play into my work as a professional or what type of support I will need to offer clients I work with. My professional goal is to take part in the maternal health world through childbirth education, educator training, and developing online curriculum for those in the birth space or educating those in the birth space. The area of maternal health has some serious issues and many voices are rallying together to try to enact change specifically about evidence based practice and the health care agenda that disproportionately disadvantages the care minorities are given and their voice in the birth process.  Because of my interests in this field, I was specifically interested in the feminist views of social justice that we reviewed and what they might say about this male dominated field that makes decisions and interacts predominantly with women. I believe the nonessentialist feminist view offers an interesting thought. Both ethics of care and ethics of justice  must be balanced in order to encourage attachment, connectedness, and relationships.  These are often removed from the traditional birthing environment of OB/GYN and staff VS. mother and support people. Capeheart and Miolvanavic (2007) highlight this through Clements thoughts:

"...each ethic provides a check against the exaggerated, ideal type form of the other ethic... used alone, either ethic tends to result in forms of moral reasoning which are both destorted and oppressive to women" (SJ:TIM, 23).

I want to explore this area of view of justice more and how it will play into my professional work and journey of understanding social justice.

What are some privileged and oppressed aspects of my identity that shape this description?

Privileges:  White, wealthy, educated, able-bodied and without mental disability, gender identity that conforms with the sex I was assigned at birth, and heterosexual.
Oppressed: Gender, Religion