Being an ally is busy work, but it’s also important work that everyone needs to know you are doing at all times. As you carve out time in your schedule to make a difference, it’s important to make sure you’re also taking time to bring it up wherever you go. Here’s a quick list on how to keep being an ally, without forgetting to constantly bring up that you’re an ally.
Read from a variety of news sources… and post about it.
Don’t just read from diverse news sources – share them so much that you’re left with very little time to do anything about it! Post, “We must make sure our news sources are as diverse as the people around us,” as you post proof that you’ve subscribed to every vital newsletter in existence. It can be easy to get caught up in the actual reading of these newsletters, but make sure you’re taking the time to craft a succinct and meaningful Facebook post about it, too.
Listen to your friends who have different experiences than you… and blog about it.
As an ally, your number-one job is to listen to the experiences of those who are less privileged than you and to learn from them. So make it a rule that for every two people whose story you listen to, you write a new think piece. It may seem excessive, but you don’t want your ally brain to get rusty, and who knows? If you stand in solidarity hard enough, you may even write something that goes viral!
Speak out against injustice… and about your trip to Haiti.
It is important that on the ground level, allies protect their peers and speak out against injustices they see, making this the perfect time to mention your trip to Haiti. If you’re speaking out, that means you’re already speaking, so why not speak about helping families in Port-au-Prince after Hurricane Matthew? Sure, maybe it’s unrelated, and sure, you were only there for a week, but again, you’re already speaking, so kill two birds with one stone and get your ally agenda out there! Don’t take the “I” out of “justice!”
Educate people who share your identity… and make it a chapter in your memoir.
As an ally, you know that it’s not the job of the oppressed to educate you about their oppression. You must seek this information out yourself and share it with people of your same identity, in order to use your privilege to lift others up. This is not something that can be done overnight, which is why it’s perfect fodder for that last chapter in your future memoir. It’s important that you don’t let this long-haul allyship pass you by. Remember: Under every act of solidarity is the opportunity for a book deal!
With these quick steps, you’ll easily be able to multitask your allyship with just talking about it! Because remember: if a tree falls in a forest, and nobody’s around to hear it, do you really care about the ACLU?
