HOW TO BE AN ACTIVE ALLY TODAY & EVERYDAY
HOW TO BE AN ACTIVE ALLY TODAY & EVERYDAY
Allyship in coordination with the BLM movement is a topic that many have pledged to support with the promise to take action and help amplify BIPOC voices. Yet, in the world of social media the deeper focus of allyship can sometimes be neglected or lost in the process.
Social media is a great way to start and have conversations but it can prevent people from going deeper than surface level to reflect, leading to performative allyship. Right now there is definitely a lot on social media outlets (which is AMAZING), but this movement requires more action than just social media to fix the deeply rooted racism at the backbone of American culture.
No one is perfect, but it is our responsibility to identify our flaws and work on them. To move forward and make progress as humans, we cannot change them if they are never identified in the first place. Personally, taking a break from social media the past few weeks really allowed me to dive deep into the meaning of being a daily ally and I invite you to do the same. Below is an outline and compilation of the resources that have helped me jumpstart my journey on being an active ally, not just today, but everyday.
How to Take Action
IDENTIFY
Not sure what your biases are or how to address them? Harvard’s Implicit Project allows you to take a test to identify subconscious biases on race, gender, sexuality, age, weight, and disability.
READ
Another way to educate yourself is to read and take in more information. It is not the job of BIPOC to inform you, it’s your own obligation as an ally to inform yourself. Here is a compiled list on white fragility, black oppression / history, how to be anti-racist and insight on bigotry inside the feminist movement:
“White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin Diangelo
“How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi
“The Souls of Black Folk” by W.E.B Du Bois
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
“Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot” by Mikki Kendall
WATCH & LISTEN
“Queen and Slim” 2019
Starting out on a simple date in Ohio, the pair become an outlawed couple after an altercation with an aggressive, white police officer.
“Moonlight” 2016
This Academy Award winning film depicts the journey of a young African-American boy in Miami, Florida. Through beautiful cinematography, this film explores black LGBTQ+ narratives and the struggle of self-identity.
To support the BLM movement further— have those uncomfortable conversations with family and friends, exercise your right to petition and protest, support BIPOC businesses and organizations, learn from your mistakes when confronted with criticism, and most importantly remember to VOTE.
( Click here for voter registration: www.usa.gov/register-to-vote )
Everyone will contribute in different ways and shouldn’t be judged for how they choose to participate. As long as you are putting forth your best effort to better yourself and those around you— change will come. Change won’t happen overnight but relentless activism and lifelong dedication to allyship will allow change to flourish and grow. As an ally, it is our job to be self educated, help amplify BIPOC voices and do everything humanly possible to implement justice for those who are facing or who have faced inequality. Alone it’s a difficult journey, but together we can accomplish anything with the right guidance and mindset.
