Last month, teacher and activist Zellie Imani expressed via Twitter his thoughts on freedom — what the idea does and does not look like, its relationship to the state and capitalism, and its links to revolution.

When I read his tweets, I knew I wanted to write about them, but I also realized that it would take me a while to formulate my thoughts. So I sat with the topic for a minute, let my ideas simmer, and came to the following conclusions:

#WokeTwitter conversations happen with frequency, but Zellie’s thoughts are notable because they highlight an important principle of liberation that is routinely overlooked. Zellie asserts that:

“Freedom is not absence of chains or representation in positions of power, it’s the absence of structures that deny access and power to all.”

It is that last clause, calling for equality of opportunity for everyone, that succinctly expresses how we should, but rarely do, conceptualize freedom. Oftentimes, individuals have passion for attacking disadvantage on one metric, yet are simultaneously complicit in the oppression of others.

We see this pattern of elevating self-liberation over universal freedom when white feminists convene meetings to make sure Jennifer Lawrence is paid as much as her male costars, but are silent about Daniel Holtzclaw, the police officer who was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting eight black women and accused by five more. We see this pattern when white R&B singer Arika Kane (who profits from black artistry but clearly doesn’t understand intersectionality) tweets that Beyoncé divides women because her “Formation” music video celebrates black culture and brings attention to our unique circumstances.


In these situations, it’s clear how mainstream feminism, by placing black women and our needs on the back burner, falls short as a tool for liberation.

Importantly, this trend also exists within racial boundaries. During discussions about police brutality and sexual assault, black men (and even some black women) will vehemently denounce the former but excuse the latter, particularly if the accused perpetrator is a black man. Being a voice for Mike Brown or Tamir Rice while also defending Bill Cosby and R. Kelly is inherently anti-liberation, as evangelizing against one form of oppression but condoning another will never manifest freedom. Centering racism as the primary force of disadvantage that affects black lives while explaining away or ignoring sexual violence against black women is just one example of how selfish notions of liberation taint collective freedom. Real abolition means that the success and protection of black men is not prioritized over the safety and prosperity of black women.

Similarly, to be fully liberated, cis-hetero people cannot advocate for equality on one plane, be it criminal justice system reform or workplace racial and gender diversity, but hate and express discomfort with homosexuality, trans identies or any other identity that does not conform to standardized concepts of personhood.

There can be no exceptions when it comes to equality, because true freedom is without caveat.

To echo Zellie once again — simply moving up the hierarchy while leaving others at the bottom is not freedom.

I see this disconnect, the desire for identity-based and not universal freedom, as the result of a misguided, subconscious aspiration for privilege. By this, I mean that some marginalized people, when thinking about liberation, are really imagining a world in which they experience the benefits that advantage brings. This does not have to be intentionally malicious, but rather it’s the likely result of America’s capitalist, prejudiced conditioning. Everyone wants the ability to see the results of their labor, whether that looks like access to wealth, higher education or awards and accolades, but we must remember that these achievements are often part of systems that function on the premise of inequity. Thus, having more, if others unfairly still have less, cannot be the goal or ideal for any marginalized group seeking liberation. Instead, we must strive for a reality without hierarchy, and not one for which our own identities are simply included into the privileged few. Nonexclusive freedom has to be the vision of any liberation-seeking movement, or else it is disingenuous in its mission and complicit in continuing oppression.

Manifesting this reality, however, means that we must all be critical of our woke-ness and vigilant about rejecting the kind of selfish freedom that advances one identity but constrains others. That does not mean being an active member of every social justice group, though it does require that we all ensure that the policies, behaviors and actions we champion open the doors wider for everyone, or at least don’t close the door in someone else’s face.

This process is neither easy nor convenient, but I do believe that the end goal makes it worth it.


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