It first begins with how we see one another. How we hold one another’s humanity in our mouth, and let it roll off our tongues. Will what we say bring more life or death to a community? Are we erasing one another with how we speak?
This is how I think and perceive decolonizing language, as not just an undoing, or an unlearning, but a reclamation of humanity through our words. There are so many things that are normalized in terms of speech and linguistics that continue to cause harm and impact communities. Some of us mindlessly speak and use terms and words that have further consequences and implications that are invisible to us, because they do not affect us directly. And of course, there are some folks who are dedicated to furthering the erasure and disappearance of people and communities, and upholding delusional, baseless ideologies. Although this group of people is farther away from this concept, we should all be doing the work of decolonizing our language.
Language is our first encounter with one another. It holds histories, cultures, beauty, dialect, slang, all of the things that make us, us. In that same vein, it can hold historical traumas, lies, misinformation, and misrepresentations rooted in white supremacist ideology, that have been institutionalized and weaponized, particularly against and towards communities of color.
We have to approach decolonization with a heart of openness: being willing to learn, unlearn, hold space for others, acknowledge, observe, admit, change, reclaim (or allow space for others to reclaim) and do this all over again. It is a lifelong process, a continuous journey towards a state of being that is always looking for ways to see others, to illuminate the humanity of someone else in all ways.
How beautiful would it be, if we all approached one another with a mind, body, and soul desire to hold one another gently with how we speak to and about each other?
We are living in strange, horrific, Earth-shattering times. People’s lives are changing at the signings of executive orders, news headlines, bills…our lives are changing faster than we can blink. We need one another now, but humanity has always had the need for connection and community. It starts with communication. It starts with us.
It starts with daily reflection, with asking ourselves:
Did I see someone else’s humanity with how I spoke to or about them today?
If you are looking for somewhere to begin, begin here, again, and again….
