Beyond Inclusion: Towards Coliberation

It is not uncommon for those who work to improve accessibility for disabled people to celebrate achievements in universal design. Perhaps the best example of this is the curb-cut effect. Dropped pavement curbs, designed to improve accessibility for wheelchair users, came to be used and appreciated by bicyclists, parents with prams and small children pulling wagons full of books. The moral of the story, of course, is that when you make things more accessible and inclusive for disabled people, you improve everybody else’s lives as well.  

We all stand to benefit from more inclusive workplaces and communities. But what does this universal approach look like for structural issues outside of architectural design? What about the unequal ways we allocate services and resources, the hierarchical ways we manage our institutions and organisations, or the exclusionary ways our cultural beliefs shape our interpersonal relationships?   

Though each form of inequality has distinct features, all oppressions interlock and uphold one another. Social structures rooted in domination, exploitation, competition and individualism are embedded in institutional and ideological systems that maintain the power of historically privileged groups. This doesn’t only harm marginalised people, it hurts everyone. 

The cost of living crisis. An undersupported NHS. Increasing political division. Rising fascism. Wealth inequality. War. Genocide. Climate change. Each one is driven by the exploitation and domination of people and planet, and by the competition and individualism that pits communities against one another so that we are too busy hating immigrants or trans people to find peace and unity.  

In 1977, the Combahee River Collective argued, ‘​​If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.’  

What if our society’s institutional and ideological systems were rooted in environmental and community care, cooperation, harmony and abundance? What if every organisation acknowledged that, while our unfair social systems are not their fault, we all play a role in either upholding the status quo or making things better for everyone?  

One of the best examples of this approach is anti-racism strategising, which allocates time, skills and resources to address systemic racism both internally and externally. We can (and should!) do the same for other marginalised groups through strategies that are anti-patriarchal, anti-heteronormative, anti-cisnormative, anti-ableist, etc. (or, taking an intersectional view, anti-oppressive.) In doing so, this will not only address systemic harm but will also benefit all social groups. Everyone’s lives are better in a society that is genuinely fair and free. 

We call this: coliberation.  

Coliberation is the outcome. It is the collaborative and collective liberation of all social groups. It not only dismantles every system of oppression but creates a new and more equal society.   

By ensuring organisational inclusion works toward community coliberation, our approach shifts. As Catherine D’Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein argue, understanding that ‘oppression is the problem, equity is the path, and co-liberation is the desired goal leads to fundamentally different projects that challenge power at their source.’ For example:  

• Where equity asks: ‘How can we ensure all current and potential employees and clients have equal access to our offers?’
  Coliberation asks: ‘What community initiatives can we support or implement to mitigate the systemic barriers that disadvantage marginalised groups, such as educational programmes or skillbuilding projects?’ 

• Where diversity asks: ‘How can we hire and promote a greater range of social groups within our organisation?’
  Coliberation asks: ‘Who do we need to redistribute resources, assets and decision-making power to so that all social groups can play an equal role in shaping our communities?’  

• Where inclusivity asks: ‘How can we create a workplace where everyone feels supported and respected?’
  Coliberation asks: ‘Why should anyone trust that our organisation is an authentic member of a local community of care that celebrates and looks after everyone?’  

To achieve coliberation, we must understand what inclusion is working toward. In these dark times, we need an ambitious and hopeful theory of change. Only by working together can we build a society where everyone experiences true fairness, freedom and coliberation.  

To learn more about how your organisation can support the coliberation of your communities, you can find out more here.