We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice

by Adrienne Maree Brown

Here are some questions I sit with when I am asked to engage in a call out: Have there been any private efforts for accountability or conflict resolution? Is/are the survivor(s) being adequately supported? Has the accused individual or group acknowledged what they’ve done, or are they saying something different happened, or even that nothing happened? Has the accused individual or group avoided accountability? Have they continued to cause harm? Has the accused already begun the process of taking accountability? Does the accused person have significantly more power than the accuser(s)—in what ways? Are they using that power to avoid accountability? Is this a demand for process and consequences that will satisfy the survivor, the community, the movement? Is this call out precise? Is the demand for accountability related to the alleged harm? Does it feel like we can ask questions? Is all the attention going towards the person accused of harm? Are we being asked to rush to action? Is there enough time between the accusation and the call for consequences to make sure we know what’s going on and what’s possible? Is the only acceptable consequence to those making the call out for the accused to cease to exist? Is the accused from one or more oppressed identities? Is there any discernible power difference between the accused and the accuser(s)? Does this feel performative?