The Ethics of Self-Advocacy

Sor Juana did not wait for male ecclesiastical authorities to grant women intellectual credibility; she wrote her own defense of women's right to learn and teach. In her famous Response to Sor Filotea, she articulated her own case with clarity and dignity. A fairness framework rooted in self-advocacy recognizes that those most affected by injustice are best positioned to articulate it and imagine solutions. Many systems of unfairness depend on silencing the voices of those harmed. The Periagoge platform values this concept because it shifts from paternalistic fairness—where the powerful decide what oppressed groups need—toward justice where marginalized people author their own narratives and demands. Sor Juana's example teaches that self-advocacy is not selfish; it is essential to any authentic account of what fairness requires.