January Blog Post - Active Listening

I think my favorite sentence from this month's readings comes from the reading Between Speech and Silence: Reflections on Accountability by Ann Russo. The sentence is this: "One of the simplest, most profound, and yet consistently difficult practices that disrupts the automatic entitlement to hegemonic speech is active listening." This sentence really stuck with me because it is what I am trying to do to improve my own advocacy work. The reading demonstrates that active listening is important in several ways. One reason that active listening is so vital is because it gives marginalized individuals that space to speak and actually feel their ideas and input are contributing to the struggles they face. Active listening is also important because is allows individuals of privilege to hear criticisms of their society without also feeling "bad, excluded, or blamed." This instinct to feel blamed or "called out" is one that is strong, but by actively listening to what is being said, one has the opportunity to realize that the argument is not about them. Finally, active listening also allows us to learn about the prejudices marginalized individuals face every day, as privileged individuals do not have the ability to experience it first hand. By practicing active listening, power dynamics can also be shifted to a more equal plane.
Another resource that discusses the power of active listening when it comes to advocacy is an article from Everyday Feminism titled "The Importance of Listening as a Privileged Person Fighting for Justice" (http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/04/the-importance-of-listening-as-a-privileged-person-fighting-for-justice/). This article, written by Jamie Utt, also emphasizes how active listening by privileged individuals discontinues the silencing, denial, and neglect of individuals who have systemically been those things for generations. It allows powerful and diverse voices to speak because "no single voice can speak for every person of that identity." It also allows for open, honest, and safe discussion about important issues facing our fellow community neighbors.
I think active listening, along with action, is our best offensive tool for changing the status quo. Not only does it allow us to discover the most effective ways to fight against oppressive leadership and policies, but it allows us to learn -- both in the classroom and in life. The process of listening is one of the most valuable gifts, it is a shame more people don't take advantage of it.