"We speak for ourselves"

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone,

I am hoping to translate a specific phrase into Russian, and I'm wondering if any of you can help. The slogan of the environmental justice movement in the US is "we speak for ourselves." Is there non-awkward Russian translation for this?

The meaning of this slogan is that marginalized communities a) have opinions about what they want to happen to their communities and b) have the right to participate in decision-making. No one can pretend to speak for them.

For example, a predominantly black or Latino neighborhood will fight against a garbage dump being located there just because rich white people don't want in their neighborhoods.

Another example: In my city a couple of years ago, the transit agency ended the zone system and instituted a flat fare across the city that was higher than any previous fares. They claimed this helped poor people who lived on the outskirts of town and therefore had to travel longer distances. But none of the poor people I talked to about it liked this approach or had been consulted before it was put in place.

Is there a common Russian expression for this kind of feeling? Or if not, is there a way to express it in one sentence?

Thank you! Spasibo bolshoe!