Participatory Culture
“This history is not your fault, but it is absolutely your responsibility.”
A history of colonization exists and persists all around us. Nikki discusses what colonization looks like and how it can be addressed through decolonization. An equitable and just future depends on the courage we show today.
“Let’s make our grandchildren proud”
With a more nuanced understanding of our power as citizens, we need to start taking real responsibility for our role in driving change, and I’m speaking particularly to white people. The burden is on us to repair generations of harm. How can we approach decolonization and reparations on a local level? A recurring lesson is to first look to Black, Brown and Indigenous leadership, listen to their needs and desires and do what you are being called to do. This kind of community-led liberation work goes beyond the archaic concept of an informed and dutiful citizen. Considering Kligler-Vilenchik’s note:
The communication style of the dutiful citizen consists mostly of one-way consumption of “managed civic information”
This one-way consumption is essentially what we have without a participatory element to the media we consume and produce. Audiences are wise but the distractions are getting smarter. How can we cut through the noise to hear what people need?
The third installment of a blog series that explores topics discussed during the fall 2022 Nonviolent Communication course at Columbia College Chicago.
