Our “Why”:

Some scholars believe that the fight for justice is the responsibility of members of Included Groups, because they have the resources, power, and privilege to create institutional and systemic change. 

Other scholars believe that the fight for justice needs to be led by members of Excluded Groups, because they experience the personal effects of oppression, and should be the ones to direct the path of change. 

In the Culture of Respect we believe that a just society can only truly be realized when both approaches are combined. We need the resources, power, and privilege of Included Groups directed by the wisdom, experience, and courage of Excluded Groups — each committing to the process of learning about the lived experience of the other, and in doing so unlocking their capacity to engage in allyship and affect lasting change. 

What We Believe:

In the Culture of Respect, we believe that fear, stereotypes, misinformation, prejudice, discrimination, and unequal distribution and access to resources, power, and privilege in the form of education, jobs, housing, health care, media, politics, and the judicial system are the dynamics that fuel all systems of oppression.

Our Mission

Our mission at The Culture of Respect is to promote an equitable and just world by teaching people why we should value each other’s lives.

References:

Freire, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed. London, UK: Penguin.

Harro, B. (2000). The Cycle of Socialization. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York, USA: Routledge.

Harro, B. (2000). The Cycle of Liberation. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York, USA: Routledge.

Lorde, A. (1983). There is no hierarchy of oppressions. Bulletin: Homophobia and Education.

Sherover-Marcuse, E. (1986). The Cycle of Personal Oppression. Emancipation and consciousness: Dogmatic and dialectical perspectives in the early Marx. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.