The Art of the Complaint, aka "What I Look Like?" August 2023

Why must we continually prioritize the comfort of those who cause us harm? We deserve workplaces free of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and retaliation. Join us, as we learn together ways and means to share our discomfort, unease, and experiences of injustice by calling upon our rights, and equal need for comfort. We meet at the intersection of "Being Right" and "Effective".  Let's get to work. Better. ​

 We came together and before we began, we remembered what we come from. This earth holds us in our learning, shows us compassion and care, how may we do the same? Don't we deserve comfort and care as we give it so freely to others deserving or not? What do we look like when we do this? What do we look like when we don't? Stereotypes portray our righteous indignation as irrational anger, insolence, insubordination, disloyalty, ineptitude. But who does that serve? We leave with a vengeance, with retribution and debilitating hatred soaking our delicate souls. No, that's not healthy and no, it's not normal. We have normalized injustice as default. No more. Perpetrators of inequity are the company's liability, not those who name injustice. 

On this day, in this space surrounded by those who love, we share our answers to the question, "What do I look like when I know the job needs me more than I need it?" What do we look like to ourselves and others when we tolerate injustice and when we don't? Following is a recount of what was learned about how we teach others to treat us. This is us taking responsibility. Back. 

We recognize confidence not as a destination, but as an ability and invitation to learn. In our ideal we are always seen as learners, those confident enough to learn, and learn in public. Yet when we are confident, others see us as too emotional, coming on too strong. or even worse, imposters. Oh, if they only knew! We've learned to key in on all signs, smelling evidence a mile away...one being all the "Good Folks" quitting. We too then fanaticize about a dramatic quit scene, as the best part of the job. We hate burning bridges, we understand jams. but we also recognize mind control / mental slavery when we see it and there's literally not enough money in the world...Guilt trips don't work anymore; if we leave our position we know it shall be filled and us, forgotten.

We take guidance from those among us who actively decolonize the mind and practice zero expectation of marginalization. We talk to managers, we send food back. Listen to Black Women, we understand how to show up with compassion and simultaneously give zero fucks on how others judge us. And we ALL know what's true, we already accounted for our collective worth. Because in many ways, we are simply UNEMPLOYABLE. We don't tolerate anything anymore because we don't depend on money for our happiness or to fulfill our soul desires. In the most professional way, we say, "Fuck you, capitalism and go ahead and keep your fake-ass impostor syndrome." Yeah, we cuss. One voice alone is righteous indignation, and ours combined here is validation. Let us fill stadiums and make the wind blow different with our rowdy applause and boisterous declarations of love.  We chant, "I love you, you have value, we need you, what do you need..."

We ARE loud. We are persistent. Our patience is not infinite.  They see us as bullies, reverse racists, aggressive, cocky, crazy, entitled, straight up intimidating...We know we're scary, the Truth is scary; The truth that capitalism is a racist tool, and we are on the road to liberation. We don't need this job, we have social net worth. You. Need. Us. More, Than. We. Need. You. So raise your bar, dear organizations, and figure out how to manage the truth because we deserve justice wherever we exist.

We read, "Decolonizing Wealth", and "The Four Agreements", we listen to poets like Ocean Vuong and Azura Tyabji. and you know what we say? "We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take this anymore!" Then, we smile at each other in genuine love as our bodies and voices change the very direction of the wind. Stay in tune, worthy one, the future is upon us!