The Wheel of Power/Privilege
Inner work cannot be done in a vacuum.
The posture we carry, the depths of our inner processing, the questions we raise – all of these impact the ways in which we see, understand, and engage with our communities. And so do our age, life experiences, abilities, race, formal educations, gender identities, and so on.
These elements of who we are texture both our experience of the world around us and how others experience us. And because of this, it is impossible to do either deep inner work or engage in sustainable activism without exploring how these identity markers shape us.
Below is a tool often referred to as the Wheel of Power/Privilege.
While not exhaustive, it can be a useful place to start when it comes to understanding our social power/privilege, especially within the context of the United States and Canada.
As you go around the wheel, I invite you to engage in the following practice (journaling can be especially helpful with this).
💡 Practice:
As you navigate this tool and practice, notice what you’re feeling in your body and/or emotions: calmness, antsiness, shivers, sweat, fear, defensiveness, joy, happy memories, distressing memories, shame, frustration, etc.
For each category, take note of where your identity lands. Where do you have social power/privilege and where do you not? How does the extent of this social power/privilege change based on your context?
Which of these identity markers do you not often have to think about in your day-to-day life? How might that differ from someone with different identity markers?
How do these identity markers relate to your sense of belonging within communities or groups? Think about those closest to you: to the best of your current understanding, what identity markers do they have?
What stories come up for you when you think about your identity markers? When was the first you time you noticed each identity marker in your life? When is a time when one of your identity markers afforded you power/privilege/comfort in a situation? When is a time when it did not?
Return to your body: take note of what behaviors you’re engaging in (tapping, avoiding, leaning in actively vs. passively) and any body sensations that might be coming up for you in relation to this activity. Seek to understand why.
After you navigate this tool and practice, move your body a bit. Then, after some time, engage in reflection using the questions below.
📝 Questions:
What came up for you as you worked through this tool? Anything surprising or new that you hadn’t thought of before?
Who might you engage in a conversation with about what came up for you and/or about identity markers and how they impact our relationships with and within our communities?
🧰 Resources:
Shameless Liberation Series (self-paced program)
Understanding Intersectionality w/ Kimberlé Crenshaw (video)
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