Lean on me, when you’re not strong
Hey, It’s Ahsante and today we’re talking
about allyship
A big thing to remember is that allyship isn’t
passive.
If there’s a war, your allies don’t just
sit there like, “Oh my gosh Genocide!
Ugh that sucks man.
People can just be so awful.
I don’t get it.
I am totally on your side.
The times we live in, it’s just so hard"
No they lend their troops, they lend their
ships, they send medics, they will go in and
fight for you.
Allyship is not neutrality
Allyship is not “I believe in you, good
luck”
Allyship is an active process that you’re
always working on.
So here are a few actions you can take in
order to be a better Ally.
#1 Listen & Educate yourself.
When people in marginalized groups tell you
about harassment or hardships they’re facing
because of that marginalization - believe
them.
If you feel like your ignorant in some area,
feel free to ask questions - but maybe ask
them to Google first.
Trust me I’ve asked some Google some pretty
weird things, it's never been offended and
it always has some sort of answer.
It’s not anyone’s responsibility to be
your personal tutor on social issues, especially
if you’re not paying them personal tutor
money.
There are plenty of resources that are already
out there, people who have shared their perspectives
in books, articles, youtube videos *cough*
*cough*.
Find the resources that have already been
laid out to you, find people who are already
talking about this stuff online.
And as an ally you should be constantly learning.
There’s not the black experience, or the
queer experience, or the experience of being
a disabled person.
There are so many different ways of walking
through the world, being perceived by others,
and living at the intersection of various
identities and abilities.
So even if you think you’ve heard everything,
listen.
The second thing you can do to be a good ally
is to uplift marginalized voices.
Retweet them, mention them to your friends,
feature them, spotlight them, hire them.
And hire them into positions of authority,
where they feel empowered to voice their concerns
and act on them.
Consult with people of color, and trans people,
and neurodiverse people, and then pay them
for their time because consulting is a job.
Whenever you can, bring diverse people into
the conversation.
A third thing you can do as an ally is to
speak up.
When you see injustice, when you hear someone
being bigoted, call them on their BS.
Have those tough conversations.
Yeah, it may make you uncomfortable to have
to point out someone being racist, but imagine
how uncomfortable black and brown people feel
having to live with that crap every day.
It can even be easier to call something out
if it’s not being directed at you and challenging
your very existence.
As an ally you can take that burden off of
someone who is already hurting.
And if you remain neutral in that sort of
situation, you’re not an ally.
You’re not helping.
Some people also worry about it being “not
their place” to for example speak about
issues of race, if they’re white.
But speaking up about injustice isn’t the
same as speaking for a marginalized group.
Call people on their problematic behavior
- especially since you’re in a position
of privilege and have less fear of retaliation.
White people who are slightly racist are more
likely to listen to other white people, so
if you’re a white ally it’s on you to
get your people.
Your relatives are likely to listen to you
because usually they care about you, and you
kinda can’t avoid them.
So when you’re sitting around the table
and your auntie tries to act like people can’t
be bisexual - call her on it.
That is your roll as an ally.
Bring a supportive voice to the table, at
tables where I’m never invited to sit.
Reach your communities that I don’t have
access to.
Use your privilege to speak where other people
would be silenced.
Another thing you can do as an ally is to
respect safe spaces.
Everyone wants to come home at the end of
the day.
I may be up for academic debate of politics
and social issues, but there are some times
where I don’t want to be challenged.
I don’t want to always have to be playing
defense.
Sometimes I just want to be around like minded
people with similar experiences who get it.
It’s empowering, it’s strengthening, it’s
emotionally enriching to be able to fellowship
with people without judgements, or pretenses,
or awkward questions based on simply being
who you are.
Don’t take issue with people coming together
around their identity.
Especially because if you’re part of the
dominant culture, chances are you get to do
it all the time, without even trying.
Respect that there’s Pride month, respect
that there’s Black History month, and realize
that as a part of the dominant culture the
world is already suited to you in that respect.
If you’re straight and cis, you’ve probably
never feared being threatened for expressing
your gender, or felt like you needed to hide
your sexuality.
If you’re white living in a dominantly white
country, you’ve probably always seen people
who share your heritage in the history books.
If you’re able bodied and neurotypical,
you might never have been stopped from entering
a common space because it’s inaccesible,
or had to retreat from a common space because
it’s mentally overwhelming.
Respect the spaces and times of year, where
people who are usually sidelined get to take
center stage.
If you’re an ally you’ll realize that
this is not about you, and sometimes that
means politely excusing yourself from spaces
meant specifically for marginalized groups.
The fifth thing you can do as an ally is to
get to work.
Use your strengths, your access, your resources
to help the cause.
Protests can be good, but we’re not all
made for marching in the streets.
You can call people in government, you can
financially support community programs, you
can volunteer for supportive organizations.
If you’re a lawyer you can give pro bono
council, if you’re a doctor you can get
involved in a clniic, whatever you do can
probably be used to do good for marginalized
communities.
If you want more ideas quick action steps
you can check out this video on the resist
challenge that I did a while back.
Being an Ally is an active process, and it’s
not something you bestow upon yourself.
You don’t just get to say, I’m not transphobic,
or homophobic or racist, therefore I’m an
ally - check, done
We are always unlearning the prejudices we’ve
been socialized in, and we’re all problematic
in our different ways.
True allyship involves valuing people with
experiences different from ours, learning
our privileges and natural prejudices, and
working to make the world more equitable in
spite of them.
In the comments let me know how allyship has
played out in your experience, or how you
think folks could be better allies.
You can like this video if you liked it, subscribe
to see more, and if you want to help me make
more and do more with this channel, then please
consider supporting me on Patreon.
Totally up to you, but I would greatly appreciate
it.
As always, remember to live spiritedly and
think creatively.
What's been making me happy this week is In
A Heartbeat the animated short film.
So cute!
Let me read you the logline: A closeted boy
runs the risk of being outed by his own heart
after it pops out of his chest to chase down
the boy of his dreams.
So cute!
The heart is my favorite character honestly,
like if I'm being completely honest.
So good!
So good!
Also can we just talk about Ringling College
of Art and Design for a second and how amazing
their student work always is 100% of the time.
Like what a boss school.
If you want to do animation just go there.
Like there's no comparison.
Ringling slays.
The whole time.
Links all up in the description.
Well I'm going to go fight the power.
Thank you so much for watching and I will
see you next time.
Work work work work work work work.
Yeah you gotta do the work work work work
work work work.
