Grade 12 Equity and Social Justice – Strand D
Action Continuum
Adapted from Wijeyesinghe, C. L., Griffin, P. and Love, B. (1997). Racism curriculum design. In M. Adams, L. Bell
and P. Griffin (ed.). Teaching for diversity and social justice: A sourcebook (pp. 82-107). New York:
Routledge.
Actions against inclusion and social justice-------------------------Actions for diversity and social justice
 Actively participating
 Denying and ignoring
 Recognizing, no action
 Educating self
 Educating others
 Supporting, encouraging
 Initiating, preventing
Actively Participating - Telling derogatory jokes, putting down people from targeted groups, intentionally avoiding
targeted group members, discriminating against targeted group members, verbally or physically harassing targeted
group members.
Denying - Enabling discrimination and injustice by denying that targeted group members are oppressed. Does not
actively discriminate or oppress, but by denying that oppression exists, colludes with oppression.
Recognizing, No Action - Is aware of oppression actions by self or others and their harmful effects but takes no
action to stop this behavior. This inaction is the result of fear, lack of information, confusion about what to do.
Experiences discomfort at the contradiction between awareness and action.
Recognizing, Action - Is aware of oppression and injustices, recognizes oppressive actions of self and others and
takes action to stop them.
Educating Self - Taking actions to learn more about oppression and privilege, and the life experiences affected by
unjust social relations by reading, attending workshops, seminars, cultural events, participating in discussions,
joining organizations or groups that oppose injustices, attending social action and change events.
Educating Others - Moving beyond only educating self to questions and dialogue with others too. Rather than only
stopping oppressive comments or behaviors, also engaging people in discussion to share why you object to a
comment or action.
Supporting, Encouraging - Supporting others who speak out against injustices or who are working to be more
inclusive of targeted group members by backing up others who speak out, forming an allies’ group, joining a
coalition group.
Initiating, Preventing - Working to change individual and institutional actions and policies that discriminate against
targeted group members, planning educational programs or other events, working for passage of legislation that
protects excluded groups from discrimination, being explicit about making sure members of historically
marginalized groups are full participants in organization or groups.
What is the range of possible actions? Recall: Internal (e.g., own personal attitudes) and external barriers (e.g.,
institutional policies, norms, laws, and attitudes and beliefs of other people) discourage (or encourage) action.
When we, as individuals or institutions, maintain the system of oppression, it can be due to…
 Active Participation – The actions we take directly support oppression
 Telling jokes about sexual orientation or people with disabilities
 Verbally or physically harassing a transgendered person or a woman
 Opposing legislation that benefits a disadvantaged group such as extending rights to
transgendered persons, ensuring housing for people of colour or allowing same-sex marriage
 Refusing to make an event accessible to a person with a physical disability because it is too much
trouble



Unintentionally making an event inaccessible to a transgender person by not providing genderneutral facilities
 Assuming a homosexual person knows everything about homosexuality
 Protesting the lack of Christmas decorations in a public space
Denying or Ignoring – Denying that an …ism exists or ignoring the ..ism discrimination when it occurs
 Failing to speak up when someone verbally jokes about, actively discriminates against, harasses
or acts rudely to people of targeted groups (e.g., knowing a friend is being verbally or physically
assaulted by boyfriend/girlfriend and saying nothing)
 Refusing to acknowledge the effects of discrimination (e.g., girls and boys are equal; girls
fanaticize about rape; violence is normal relationship behaviour; “What more do Aboriginals
want? They get everything free.”)
 Denying that language is a detriment to equality (e.g., gay is not a problem; referring to targeted
groups as “them” instead of as persons; using only her/his pronouns when referring to a
transgendered person)
 Ignoring that institutional arrangements impact disadvantaged groups (e.g., curbs and stairs
prevent movement of a person in a wheelchair; a lecture excludes a person with a hearing
impairment; a mosque excludes women from the main room as assembly and, as such, ignores
their voice in decision-making; holidays are based around a Christian calendar only; rape victim
must defend her/his sexual history)
Recognition without action – knowing discrimination is a problem, but failing to take actions to address it
 Feeling uncomfortable but not objecting to a joke that is oppressive
 Teaching information that fails to tell the complete story, but teaching the information anyway
with no adjustment
 Knowing a door will prevent access but not advising anyone of the exclusion
When we, as individuals or institutions, begin interrupting and take action, it is because we are….
 Recognizing and interrupting oppressive behaviours
 Accepting advantages within your own social group (e.g., white confers advantage over persons
of colour, male confers advantage over female, heterosexual is dominant over homosexual)
 Understanding and acknowledging privilege (e.g., unearned as a member of the advantaged
group)
 Seeing everyone as a person with value and potential
 Seeing the perspective of a disadvantaged and targeted group (e.g., black male encountering a
white police officer)
 Questioning binary structures, medical models of understanding, etc.
 Transitioning from acceptance of oppression to interrupting the process
 Recognizing and responding to oppression
 Educating self
 Researching to learn more about a targeted group
 Actively connecting with people in disadvantaged communities (e.g., attending multi-cultural
event; attending faith service of a different religion; respecting prayer requirements of Muslims)
 Listening with the intent to listen
 Learning respectful terminologies (e.g., person with a physical disability (not physicallychallenged); lesbian (not dyke or she-man); cross-dresser (not pervert))
 Understanding choice
 Learning history
 Ignoring self and seeing as others
 Seeking advice on a matter
 Questioning and dialoguing
 Educating others
 Dialoguing with persons from a disadvantaged group


Questioning institutional structures and norms
Seeking allies
When we act to change ourselves, other people or institutions, it is because we….
 Support and encourage
 Actions to break the Cycle of Socialization
 Lend a voice
 Acknowledge the benefits (e.g., positive feelings, support potential, protect self (e.g., future
changes), greater sense of community, inclusiveness and connectedness)
 Initiate and prevent
 Actions that actively predict, anticipate and identify individual or institutional oppressive
behaviours / structures
 Creating greater access for targeted groups
 Preventing oppressive actions
Becoming an Ally
What Is an ally? An ally is typically a member of advantaged social groups who uses social power to take a stand
against social injustice directed at targeted groups (e.g., whites who speak out against racism, men who are antisexist). An ally works to be an agent of social change rather than an agent of oppression.
Characteristics of an Ally
 Feels good about own social group membership, is comfortable and proud of own identity
 Takes responsibility for learning about own and targeted group heritage, culture and experience, and how
oppression works in everyday life
 Listens to and respects the perspectives and experiences of targeted group members
 Acknowledges unearned privileges received as a result of advantaged status and works to eliminate or
change privileges into rights that targeted group members also enjoy
 Recognizes that unlearning oppressive beliefs and actions is a life-long process, not a single event, and
welcomes each learning opportunity Is willing to take risks, try new behaviors, act in spite of own fear and
resistance from other advantaged group members
 Takes care of self to avoid burn-out
 Acts against social injustice because it is in her/his/hir own self-interest to do so (as well as in the interest
of targeted group members) Is willing to made mistakes, learn from them and try again
 Is willing to be confronted about own behavior and attitudes and consider change
 Is committed to taking action against social injustice in own sphere of influence
 Understands own growth and response patterns and when she/he/ze is on a learning edge
 Understands the connections among all forms of social injustice
 Believes she/he/ze can make a difference by acting and speaking out against social injustice
 Knows how to cultivate support from other allies
Most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. Alice Walker