What is Oppression?
Oppression is the use of power to disempower, marginalize, silence, or otherwise subordinate one social group, often to further empower and privilege the dominant group.
Oppression is common in our current world and impacts BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour), LQBTQ2S+ (lesbian, queer, by, transgender, questioning, two-spirit, and more) folks, people with disabilities, women, Muslim folks, Jewish folks, people exeriencing poverty and more. Oppression creates countless barriers and can have severe impacts on both individuals and communities. Ultimately, oppression creates more difficult life circumstances for those that are being oppressed. They tend to have lesser opportunities and are seen as inferior by the oppressor.
What is Anti-Oppression?
Anti-oppression means being actively against oppression. Taking on anti-oppression requires learning about those who are oppressed, addressing oppressive systems, and acknowledging privilege.
We all must take on anti-oppressive practice as our world is built upon countless oppressive systems and institutions that impact rights, liberation, safety, and quality of life for numerous groups and individuals.
Why is it Important That I Learn About Oppression and Anti-oppression?
OPIRG Peterborough/Nogojiwanong offers Anti-Oppression Training sessions as a start to implementing anti-oppressive habits into our daily lives. We cover different terms you should be familiar with, addressing privilege, recognizing oppression, and anti-oppressive practices. From our session, you will learn foundational aspects of anti-oppression and what you can do to challenge oppression and take action.