At TTA, we are guided by the following principles: Standing up for injustice, amplifying lived experience, actively affirming and empowering, celebrating intersectionality, and building community. Our work is inspired by activists and educators, and we love to share their accomplishments and insights.
Standing Up to Injustice
As people who benefit from privilege, we cannot sit idly by and observe the injustice in our local communities and larger global stage, forcing marginalized people to do this work on their own. We believe that it is our shared responsibility to do the research rather than put the onus on marginalized communities, so we keep our ears to the ground and follow grassroots artists, authors, organizers and theorists. And, then we share this information with you here at TTA.
Amplifying Lived Experience
One of our primary values is a commitment to using the platform we are privileged to have (as white humans who are not disabled) to draw attention to the folks doing this work in their own communities who might not have the same access to visibility. We also wrestle with the intersections of privilege and oppression while creating resources and thoughtful content and make it available to a wide audience, including you!
Affirmation and Empowerment
“Tolerance” and “acceptance” are minimal and neutral at best. Marginalized and oppressed people have the right to be respected, affirmed and empowered, not merely tolerated or accepted. We seek to eradicate the concept that tolerance and awareness are supportive or adequate approaches. As privileged members of the global community, we should work to acknowledge and uproot the oppressive structures that restrict and disenfranchise so many people.
Celebrating Intersectionality
Drawing on the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw, the Black feminist legal scholar and educator who first introduced the term intersectionality in her critical race theory work in 1989, we seek to recognize and affirm the many identities that make up each human life.
Building Community
We are inspired to meet so many people from various experiences who hold multiple identities. As educators we know that learning can come from anywhere, anyone – and when you might least expect it.
Everyone has something that they can teach others, and we welcome thoughtful and compassionate interaction with all others who are on this journey towards liberation.