I used to think that it was enough just to be an ally. In my eyes that meant I should be quiet and listen to other voices — those presented to me on my Twitter feed, my television screen, and in The New York Times. I now know how wrong I was. The world does not need white people to be only allies, it needs them to be collaborators.
Saying “I am an ally” is very easy. It’s a two-syllable word with four letters. But what does that actually mean? Roxanne Gay, the author of the essay collection Bad Feminist wrote in a 2016 article, for Marie Claire magazine, titled “On Making Black Lives Matter” that “black people do not need allies. We need people to stand up and take on the problems borne of oppression as their own, without remove or distance. We need people to do this even if they cannot fully understand what it’s like to be oppressed for their race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion, or other markers of identity. We need people to use common sense to figure out how to participate in social justice.” A better word for what Gay suggests could be collaborator, someone helping another group or person. A collaborator understands that their work is not just to better themselves and their understanding of injustice and racism, but that their job is to stand up to injustice and racism whenever they see it. It is their job to educate themselves on discrimination and oppressive systems and look for ways to help the struggle not only when it appears convenient, but every day.
In the last month, multiple videos have surfaced of black people being murdered by police officers and of hate crimes carried out by white civilians all across America. No matter your race, age, gender, political party, or other ways you may identify it is long past the time to create action. We all have an active role to play. Change doesn’t happen unless we make it happen. So what does that actually mean? For me, it means using time on my own to educate myself on the struggles that black people face on a daily basis. It means paying attention to any implicit bias that I may have and learning about the history of the Black Lives Matter movement. We should amplify the voices that the oppressive systems in place in America work to silence, instead of just sharing our own. Sign petitions, call those you elected with a list of demands, go to the streets (wear a mask) and protest if you are able to. Post resources on your social media and spread awareness whenever you can, not just when it’s a trend. Don’t post to rid yourself of your own guilt or to prove something, but post to feature voices and resources that need to be heard. Listen when people talk. You don’t know everything. Acknowledge the mistakes you make along the way (because there will probably be mistakes) and work to right them.
There are protests in all fifty states. All the officers involved in the murder of George Floyd have been charged and more severe charges have been placed on Derek Chauvin, who placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes. These things don’t just happen. They are reactions to the voices of American citizens.
To those who say that protests or riots or whatever you’re calling them don’t create change, this was how America began. America was born on the backs of protest and riots, and we as citizens have the right to recreate our country to make it something we can be proud of.
We all have the ability to create real change. Let’s see how far we can go.
