Anti-Oppressive Decision-Making

Every decision either reinforces oppression or disrupts it.There is no neutral choice.

Educators and leaders make hundreds of decisions every day — curriculum choices, discipline responses, communication styles, policies, schedules. And every one of those choices reflects assumptions about whose needs matter most.

Most institutions claim to be “fair” or “objective,” but neutrality is rarely neutral.Bias lives in routine.Oppression lives in the everyday.

Anti-oppressive decision-making brings justice into the smallest choices and systems.

What It Does

This tool helps teams replace default thinking with intentional thinking. It transforms decision-making from instinctual habit into a practice rooted in equity, transparency, and shared power.

Use It To:

• Ask “Who Benefits? Who’s Burdened?” Every decision affects someone — name who.

• Revise Harmful Policies: Replace rules based on compliance with rules based on dignity.

• Create Inclusive Processes: Ensure those most impacted help shape the decisions that shape them.

• Challenge “Tradition”: Ask whether a practice continues because it works — or because it protects comfort.

Why It Matters

Oppression hides in the ordinary.When decisions become conscious, patterns of harm become visible — and change becomes possible.

Core Message

Justice is a practice, not a value — and our decisions reveal what we practice.