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

The Politics of Contempt: When Belonging Becomes Blindness

"The sorting we do to ourselves and to one another is, at best, unintentional and reflexive. At worst, it is stereotyping that dehumanizes. The paradox is that we all love the readymade filing system. It’s so handy when we want to quickly characterize people. But, yet we resent it when we’re the ones getting filed away." — Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness Over the past 15 years, American political life has become increasingly shaped by insulation, caricature, and contempt

Social Work & Disconnection

Don Schweitzer

Jun 34 min read

When Disagreement Feels Like Threat:

A Shift in the Temperature of Disagreement "The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, while the aftermath of violence is tragic bitterness. We must see that every end we seek must be joined with a means that is as pure as the end itself." — Martin Luther King Jr. A quiet but significant shift has taken place in American social life. A trend that began in the 1980s and dramatically accelerated after 2000 is that Americans started prioritizing poli

Institutional Critique

Don Schweitzer

Apr 157 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