2021 Resolution: Acting as an Ally in life, love, and adventure

Hey there – I’m Natalie Brewster Nguyen-an artist, educator, and YogaSlackers teacher. In case you don’t want to read the whole post below, here’s a link to check out my upcoming courses with Justice Movement!

As we all careen around the final corner of the dumpster fire that has been 2020, I hope New Year’s resolutions will look a little different. Generally the resolutions we’re encouraged to make are all about self improvement. Whether it’s eating right, saving more money, reducing stress or spending less time on social media I think of resolutions as something self-referential. What can I control and change about myself? How can I be happier, healthier, more attractive?

But what if we think about improving ourselves differently? Because there’s something much bigger underneath this question, and that’s inequality. Anyone can make a New Year’s resolution, but to even contemplate many of them, one needs to harbor a certain amount of privilege. Thinking about saving money means having some to begin with, or at least a job. Not the case for so many people right now. Eating healthier means being able to afford healthier food, and living in an area where those things are even available. Reducing stress means having some control over the stressors in your life. The constant stressors of racism, sexism, ableism are not something you can voluntarily reduce. This is the reality of living in an inequitable world.

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I have a pretty constant one that accompanies me in this life. How can I show up better?

Acting as an ally can feel complicated and scary. Maybe you don’t even really know what that word means. But if you’re feeling like I’m feeling right now, 2021 cannot be about working on our beach bodies. It’s been too raw, too brutal, too devastating. And now too much is at stake. So this year, I invite you to join me in making your resolution about you and your relationship to social change.

My colleague Danya and I founded Justice Movement in order to teach social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion courses to our communities. This year has continued to highlight just how important they are. We build these courses to take you along on a personal, intimate, and powerful journey of analysis and understanding. We want you to get excited about unpacking structural privilege and oppression! These are not just lectures. They’re interactive and confidence boosting. Come get (more) woke with us!

Here’s a testimonial from a recent participant: