Law of Empowerment: "Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others"

Politics are important for any cause. Point. Blank. Period.

Policy is where structural and systemic issues are reversed and reworked. I get it. Change to the perils of many societies is based on the work people do in policy, advocacy, activism and lobbying on all levels of government. I get it. I get it. I'm with it. I'm with it.

Because of advocacy, we have many rights that have in the past, present, and in the near future been changed for the betterment of marginalized people and the community as a whole. I applaud this and I get it.

What happens, though, when people have rights they know nothing about? What happens when the fight is based on what the "elite" representation believes is most advantageous rather than what the community wants? What happens when the people advocating and lobbying for certain marginalized communities are no longer connected to the communities they are ideally supposed to be serving?

These issues present big problems for me. Recently, I witnessed what could easily be a glass ceiling effect going on in the Black, Gay Community not based on other races, sexes or ethnicities but from us-- Black, Gay Men. There seems to be a group of "elite" representation of what a Black, Gay Man is and if you are not affiliated, connected, or working with them, then you don't represent the true form of Black, Gayness.

The situation I experienced was a silo of Black, Gay men who were having private meetings and socials with no invitations for people outside of their circles. Fortunately, I had a few connections to these groups and opted out of attending. Otherwise, there were many networking opportunities available but only afforded to the ones they felt "fit" in.

For the purpose of TRUE impact, this is concerning. When we look at whom truly needs help by the power groups of people have, it is never the people with power. If we have cliques of representation that keeps the power and has no connection to the communities that really need it, we are better off having a person who doesn't look like us in power with similar struggles they understand. Seeing successful Black, Gay men in power is wonderful but, at the expense of a community who needs them where the attention is placed on the inner circles' issues versus what the community says it needs, well... Fuck them.

It seems we are sending some of the same messages we fight in other communities in terms of who matters, classism, acceptability and empowerment based on accolades. I am not denying that there is some good that comes from this group or that they do mean well, but as leaders we have to understand that people don't necessarily care about intention, but more about perception. The unfortunate perception is that only people who look like me can have a meaningful fight.

I want to be clear: I believe in policy and advocacy. The issue at hand is we must use power for impact--- and everyone shouldn't be trying for an affiliation with power for advocacy when there is just as, if not more, important work to accomplish on the frontlines. Humble yourselves. Learn how to serve-- outside your tie and politically correctness.

-The Normal Anomaly