Systems of oppression affects all areas of life ranging from education to employment to even our own capabilities of reaching the opportunity of becoming fully human. To break this cycle of inequality, it takes a conscious effort in defining the background of intentionality and implementing this change into your everyday life. Throughout this course, I have learned that the HIV/AIDS module does just that. The intentionality of being simple to teach while at the same time empowering its’ educators, is one of the many ways this module embodies change. My experience with this module has transformed throughout this course as I have learned the key elements of what it means to truly empower a group of individuals without imposing your own privilege. Reflecting on my experience reveals that, the empowerment of the pedagogy incorporates a process of liberation of both the oppressed and the oppressor while at the same time creating everlasting change.
I was extremely hesitant to interact with the population of people that we would be working with. When I first heard that we would be working with community members who identified as gay, Muslim, men, I was ignorant to the idea that this population even existed in the Detroit area.. Living in the Ann Arbor community, an area protected by an invisible bubble, has shielded my knowledge of the identities that make up the outside world. Having the privilege of being a Christian, enables me to be accepted into communities without reason. In addition to being a Christian, I also possess the social identity of being a heterosexual female. Since society is based on heterosexual norms, my daily activities are not rejected by the community for which I am a part of. Learning that members of this community were often rejected from their families and loved ones opened my eyes to the importance of what it means to have a place to feel safe and respected as a human being. Going into this community with my privileges in mind and understanding how these undertones of power affect the way I interact with people, played a crucial role in my ability to fully embrace myself into the experience of teaching the module.
Moving into the transition of teaching the module, my enthusiasm and passion for the module was able to flourish. Arriving at the Ferndale site, I was excited that we had the opportunity to interact and engage with the people before we began to teach the module. While completing acts of community service, it is often known that little time is spent getting to know community members on a personal level. Setting this tone in the beginning allowed for more participation from the community members as a whole. Now that my experience with the module is over, reflecting on the importance of the pedagogy of empowerment plays a crucial role in shaping my field of work in the future. First and foremost, I learned that this method of teaching goes beyond the realm of playing the role of a “white savor” but embodies the enrichment of the oppressed removing personal privileges to serve a higher purpose. I also noticed that the amount of privilege within the group we worked with hindered their level of appreciation for the module. Since majority of the males were recent college graduates or graduates of a master’s program, their level of education hindered their appreciation for truly acknowledging the worth of the module. Even though our group was quick to learn, they lacked an emotional connection with the module. Receiving an education in today’s society, only benefits the person receiving the education, enabling them to have more power and privilege over the next person. Analyzing this association from the outside looking in, really surprised me because I am the product of this educational society. Questioning my contributions at the University of Michigan and reflecting on my experience with the module has forced me to re-evaluate myself and the actions that I take.
It is to my understanding, now, that the efforts to empower a community goes beyond the simple notion of giving back to those who are underprivileged. The HIV/AIDS module, is intentionally created so that the communities for which we serve can own and dominate this information so that they too, can become teachers. The key elements to empowerment include true liberation of self, the ability to give willing from the heart, and having the right intentions when committing yourself to community work.
