Examine the dynamics within and between marginalized and privileged groups that lead to conflict, dissipation, and distraction from our equity goals. What are some ways we might address and reduce these unhelpful dynamics so that we might create a community of solidarity and change.

1. Intra Group and Inter Group Competency
The Equity Exchange
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee
Seattle Girls’ School

2. Distracted from the Finish Line:
Intergroup and Intragroup Tensions
 Black-Asian Tensions
 Ethnicity/Religion and LGBTQ Identity
 Divide and Conquer Classism
 (White Cisgender Straight Wealthy)
Feminism
 Ageism and Adultism in Movements
 Colorism Within US and Globally
 And MANY More…

3. Barriers of Solidarity and Coalitions
 Ranking of Oppressions
 Intersectionality Dismissal
 Myth of the Zero-Sum Game
 Myth of Not Enough
 False Binaries
 Internalized Oppression/Dominance
 Performative Allyship

4. Reflections
What are the inter or intra
group tensions you struggle
with the most?
What are some steps you
could take to reduce these
tensions within your own life,
in your work, and in your
community?

5. Ladder of Empowerment for
Marginalized People
Empowerment and Liberation
Community of Resistance
Collective Action
Challenging
Self Awareness & Investigation
Exclusion and Immersion
Rage/Depression
Not dominant
Internalized Oppression
“***Ism”
pushes us
down
Resistance,
awareness,
education
empowers us
Ladder of Empowerment for
Marginalized People

6. Ladder of Allyship for
Members of Dominant Groups
Allyship and Liberation
Community of Resistance
Collective Action
Challenging
Awareness & Investigation
Distancing Own Group Members
Dissonance and Resistance
Ignorance and Passivity
Internalized Supremacy
“***Ism” limits us
and separates us
from others
Allyship,
awareness,
education
liberates us
Done in
conjunction
and
relationship
with members
of oppressed
group
Ladder of Allyship for
Members of Dominant Groups

7. Reflections
Where do you exist most
often in your own journey to
liberation?
How can you be more
understanding, inclusive,
empathic, and effective
toward other members of
your own group?

8. I have seen a lot of solidarity between communities of color, and I have also seen statements like
"Why should I stand up for them? They've never stood up for me!" or "Some of my worst
experiences of racism was by XXX people." As I encounter stories of frustration, anger, or pain that
reduces willingness for cross racial solidarity, this is what I have been thinking about and talking
about.
Imagine you are in a small room with many people. The walls are closing in, and the space gets
tighter. You start to panic, and you realize you are competing for diminishing space. It is so easy to
be mad at the person who just stepped on your toe or elbowed your side, to contemplate climbing
on top of that person, or blame that person for taking up more oxygen than their share. It is so hard
to come together to ask - what the hell is pushing on the walls and shrinking this room? What are
we gonna do about that? And yet we must. The walls will crush all of us if we don't.
It hurts to be elbowed, shoved, and stepped on. That pain is real, and you don't deserve it. It is
important that, even through the pain, we keep our focus and remember it's the machinery of white
supremacy that put us here. If we can break these walls, we can all breathe. We will be able to see
each other fully as neighbors, friends, and family.
I hope this analogy is useful for those of us who have a glimpse into the machinery moving the walls.
Let us not dismiss the pain. Let us not dismiss the anger. Let us not dismiss the resentment. Let
us listen, empathize, and heal. But let us also remember to talk about the the machinery. If all of us
can push together and all at once, we just might break the damn thing.

9. Presenter
Information
Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee
Outreach Specialist
Seattle Girls’ School
2706 S Jackson Street
Seattle WA 98144
(206) 805-6562
rlee@seattlegirlsschool.org
http://tiny.cc/rosettalee