In this presentation the communicability of pain and oppressed testimony is examined through the descriptor of ‘the subaltern’ as defined by Antonio Gramsci as those who have little to no societal power or personal agency. The question ‘can the subaltern be heard?’ is explored through three main bodies of work: Can the Subaltern Speak  by Gayatri Spivak (1988), The Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry (1985), and Lights Out and the Ethics of Spectatorship, or Can the Subaltern Scream? by K. Frances Lieder (2015). Their differing positions regarding pain, communication, oppression, and the subaltern are used to construct an understanding of how the subaltern can potentially be heard. Creating space for the oppressed and marginalized to speak and be heard is necessary for effective advocacy and improved awareness and empathy, enabling social change.