Using a Privilege Lens in Active Bystander Training

When I began working at Rice University 5 years ago, I learned about how important bystander intervention is within college campus communities. Preventing violence is a community issue and ultimately everyone’s responsibility. Bystander Intervention is based on the philosophy that everyone can learn to safely intervene in potentially harmful situations and speak out against violence, as well as challenge social and cultural norms that perpetuate violence.

At Rice, when we teach about this topic, we make sure that participants understand that intervening is not just about stopping a physical or sexual assault while it is occurring. The likelihood of any of us happening upon one of these incidents is much less likely than other types of incidents. We must understand that behaviors we also need to pay attention to and intervene in include language and jokes that are used to harm (possibly unintentionally) and these often precede physical violence and desensitize us.

Another important component of bystander intervention training is to include information on privilege. Upon doing research, we initially learned that everyone in the community can be an active bystander for any situation. However, such an approach can overlook the impact of the complexity of a person’s’ intersecting identities, including their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, nation, age, and social class. It is difficult and often a safety risk for marginalized communities to intervene in potentially violent situations, especially if the potential active bystander is part of the same group as the person/people being targeted.

We challenge active bystanders to consider their privilege in all situations, and if needed, use that privilege to intervene. Here are some examples that we ask participants to consider. Can you reject someone and not worry about being threatened with degrading language or physical violence? Often, female/feminine identified people cannot. Can you be affectionate with a partner in public without fear? Often, the LGBTQ+ community cannot. Do you ever worry about being treated as if you are out to harm someone just based on the color of your skin? Often, persons of color do. If you do not experience one of these fears, that means that you have privilege in that situation, and it may be your turn to speak up and take action.

Whether you work on a college campus or in another community setting, we all have a responsibility to learn about and share about the importance of being an active bystander. We must start from within and increase our awareness about our privileges, and then educate our family, social circles, and systems, including oppressive structures.