Reclaiming
Advocacy

"Centering Humanity in the Work of Justice"

Integrity-based Advocacy

Integrity, Discipline, & Humanity

Explore a simple but uncomfortable truth: justice cannot be built through tactics that undermine our humanity. While moral conviction matters, how we pursue change matters just as much.

Here, we examine why advocacy efforts so often become reactive, punitive, or performative — and what actually produces lasting, measurable progress. Drawing from research, clinical insight, systems thinking, and historical examples, these essays are an invitation to rethink how we advocate, lead, and organize.

Evidence & Empathy

All Posts

The Permission Structure: Toxic Advocacy and Integrity

How We Learned to Be Cruel & Feel Righteous About It At some point, we built a permission structure that made cruelty feel like courage. What once would have been unthinkable (mocking, shaming, or dehumanizing others in the name of “ justice ” or “ truth ”) has become a kind of moral performance. It didn’t happen overnight. Slowly, through politics, social media, and cultural reinforcement, we constructed a system of cues and stories that made it not only acceptable to act w

Toxic Advocacy

Don Schweitzer

Dec 29, 20258 min read

Beyond the March: Rethinking Peaceful Protest for a Divided Age

The streets fill with chants. The air hums with conviction. Signs wave, slogans rise, and cameras capture the spectacle. For a moment, it feels like something powerful is happening. But by the next morning, the streets are empty again. News cycles move on. Nothing has changed . Once, a march could shake the conscience of a nation. Today, it too often feels like a ritual – predictable, performative, and quickly forgotten. Martin Luther King Jr. once remarked that a march in th

Social Work & Disconnection

Don Schweitzer

Dec 29, 20257 min read

Dr. Don Schweitzer, PhD, LMSW, is a veteran and trauma-informed clinician who bridges the gap between academic evidence and real-world care. From working in homeless shelters to higher education, his work investigation how systems fracture—and how they can be rebuilt with integrity

"This is not a rejection of justice work. It is a call to do it better — with integrity, discipline, and a clear-eyed focus on outcomes that endure."

Is Your Mission Drifting?

Today’s leaders face fragmentation and ideological fatigue. Join Dr. Don for a 30-minute Strategy Session to identify your organization's blind spots and reclaim your impact.

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Reclaiming Advocacy