On Our Own Terms by Nicole Burrowes (Essay Sample)

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Reflection Paper: “On Our Own Terms” by Nicole Burrowes et al. and “These Are Not Our Priorities” by Dorothy Hodgson
The two articles by Dorothy Hodgson and Nicole Burrowes et al., “These are Not Our Priorities” and “On Our Own Terms,” respectively, examine the limitations of relying on international and foundation organizations in the quest for social change, particularly as it pertains to women’s rights.
Burrowes et al.’s article “On Our Own Terms” highlights the challenges that the movement for the rights of colored women in America encountered in its reliance on foundation grants to run its activities. By outlining the problems of financial dependence on foundations, such as the need to align the movement’s agenda with the interests of the donors (despite the possibility that donor interests may be at variance with the movement’s goals), Burrowes seeks to demonstrate that foundation organizations are one of the real obstacles hindering the success of revolutionary movements fighting for social change. To address this situation, the authors propose the need to embrace the self determination concept with revolutionary movements. This concept implies that “all groups are able to identify and work toward solving their own problems” (Burrowes et al. 227). This assertion is a radical shift from traditional approaches to social change. Traditionally, the state and state institutions were held accountable in promoting social change, such as the protection of women’s rights. For instance, governments are expected to pass laws to curb violence against women as well as to promote girls education as a means of reversing gender inequalities. Burrowes’ advocacy for self-determination, however, suggests that revolutionary movements and women as a group can and should pursue and achieve social change without relying on foundations and state institutions. The authors make this assertion clear when they state that “power does not reside only in state institutions, but also in communities” (Burrowes et al. 228). Accordingly, the fight for social change and women’s rights should focus on mobilization and lobbying at the grassroots level not only to create awareness about the need for social change, but also to engage local communities in addressing issues that affect them directly.
The authors use the experience of Sista II Sista, a revolutionary organization representing colored women in America, as a case in point to demonstrate the need to gravitate away from overdependence on foundations for financial support. As the group’s members realized, foundations are endowed with the wealth amassed from the exploitation of marginalized groups through capitalism. Thus, it is naïve to expect that foundations would sincerely support movements that seek to challenge the status quo, such as existing social and economic inequalities. As they observe, “Philanthropy was not created to sustain any organization, movement, or idea that would undermine the goals of that small percentage of the population that controls most f society’s wealth in the first place” (Burrowes et al. 232). This assertion suggests that relying on charity foundations is like going to bed with the enemy, hence the need for autonomy. This autonomy can be achieved by diversifying income sources and encouraging active member participation in the movement’s activities. The ultimate goal of organizations for social change, therefore, is to avoid the influence of the state and foundations by becoming independent of their financial support.
Hodgson’s article “These are Not Our Priorities” explore a similar theme like Burrowes et al. by discussing the challenges that local/indigenous organizations face in their quest for social change. The author uses the experiences of Maasai Women’s Development Organization (MWEDO) to illustrate the disconnection between the interests of international women rights organizations and the needs of the target population (Hodgson 139). On the one hand, MWEDO represents indigenous Maasai women who are rooted in the traditions and customs of their communities. On the other hand, international women rights movements represent, and advocate for, the liberal views of western feminists, some of which are against the cultural beliefs of indigenous communities, such as Female Genital Modification (FGM) and polygamy (Hodgson 143). In this regard, Hodgson advances the idea that international women’s rights movements do not always represent the interests of the people whose rights they purport to promote. On the contrary, at times they can be the obstacle as far as the rights of individuals are concerned. For instance, human rights movements are against FGM, which they discredit as a violation against women’s rights as well as a form of violence a...