Hello everyone! Hope you all are staying safe and healthy during this time...well, as best as you can. Lately, it seems like every corner we turn, Black people are still disproportionately affected. It's been heartbreaking to see but the collective community outcry gives me hope. For those of you reading this who aren't Black, thank you for seeing my color. Thank you for wanting to do the work to amplify myself as well as other Black voices and stories. Here are some tips to continue to be a better ally for us:
Listen
The most important thing you can really do is LISTEN. No one wants you to be the loudest voice because frankly no one wants to hear your voice. We just want you to be a listening ear to understand our accounts of what is happening to put things into a better perspective.
Recognizing and Acknowledging Your Privledge
I've been seeing a lot on social media of people "renouncing their privledge". Don't do that. It's silly. Understand that you have privledge and use it to help advance other people. Don't think that you have privledge? Answer yes or no to these questions:
Have you ever been in a class where no one looked like you?
Have you ever been called the wrong name?
Have you ever had to correct people multiple times on how to say your name?
Has someone ever said they didn't recognize you because you wore your hair differently?
If you answered yes to most of those questions. You already have infinitely more privledge than me. Use that to help other people who aren't afforded that.
Hold other people accountable
You and I both know racist people. The biggest difference is the people that are racist don't look like me. Call out your friends, family members, partners, whoever. Don't make excuses for them because frankly, there is no excuse.
Educate Yourself
If you're lucky to have someone in your life who wants to educate you, that's great but generally speaking we're all tired of trying to educate you all. Google is free. Social media is also free. There's tons of books that will help you learn more about the racial injustices of Black people in America.
Do the work.
This isn't the time for performative allyship. It's time for you to do the work to be a better person for yourself and our community. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable as you examine yourself and the people around you. We're in this fight together.
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