From Control to Collective Solidarity Journaling Questions

Reflection: What societal/personal/ historical narratives, frameworks and beliefs have you been holding that influence the way you think about power and your relationship to it, including how you gain it, how you hold it, how you “share” it and how it can be amplified in the world?

Introspection: what did you hear or think about in this section that makes you want to do more learning?

When you think about the lessons you learned as a child or younger person about power, which ones do you think are helpful? Which have been harmful? Which have given you privilege? Did these same ones mean that others would NOT have power? How do you feel your viewpoint evolving?

When you hear the word “power,” what’s the first emotion that rises in you — and what does that reaction tell you about the messages you absorbed growing up?

This lesson distinguishes between formal and informal position. Where do you hold formal power (title, credentials, role)? Where do you hold informal power (proximity, network, cultural alignment)? Which has served you more — and why?

Think of a time when a door opened for you because of circumstance, access, or luck — not solely effort. What systems or people made that moment possible? How has that shaped where you are today?

The lesson reframes the question from “Am I privileged?” to “Where and how does privilege operate in my life?” Using that lens, where do you notice unearned advantages at work in your daily experience?

In what contexts do you experience marginalization — and in what contexts do you benefit from privilege? How does that shift depending on the room you’re in?

Have you ever witnessed — or participated in — lateral oppression within a community you belong to? What were the conditions (scarcity, competition, visibility) that fueled it?

Where have you encountered the “meritocracy myth” — the belief that outcomes are purely the result of hard work? How has centering effort over systems affected how you’ve judged yourself or others?

What informal gatekeepers exist in your community, workplace, or field? Who decides who gets “platformed or believed” — and what criteria are being used?

The lesson names colorism, education snobbery, language, wealth symbols, and respectability politics as internal status markers. Which of these show up most in spaces you inhabit? What’s the cost of that?

Consider someone in your life or work who navigates marginalization on more than one axis. What “double binds” might they be managing that you haven’t fully seen? What would it mean to hold more awareness of that?

The lesson describes a Black or Brown woman at work who must be simultaneously warm, strong, and endlessly resilient — and is penalized as a personal flaw if she fails any script. Where in your organization or community does this dynamic play out? What would change if it were named as a systems problem?