Roxane Gay, from a personal
perspective gave the best definition of what being an Ally is in one of
her articles in which she notes:
"Marginalised people do not
need saviours. They need people to stand up and take on the problems borne of
oppression as their own without remove or distance. They need people to use
common sense to figure out how to participate in getting social justice for
everyone."
We live in an individualistic and
highly capitalist society that is built on the tenants of single community
supremacy, whether we like it or not. It has been ingrained within us- the need
to be first and to be the loudest when asking for something that we want
but what no one really talks about is the fact that in order to be
"first”, someone must be left behind which in almost all the cases are the
minority community including people of colour or individuals with
different identities. An individual belonging to these communities cannot easily
cast away their identities on a whim since these identities are shaped through
a consistent period of oppression. They carry that weight every single day of
their lives and an ally should understand that this is the weight that they too
must be willing to carry and be cognizant of it. It is upon the ally to break
free from the common social trappings underlining their own privilege and
analyse the things that they thought were "normal". The “normal”
bases heavily off on the experiences of the majority and favours it.
Often, especially in today’s political
climate, Liberals and progressives are in favour of vouching for minorities
which is a step in the right direction but can often be performative and
tokenistic in nature. People believe that they are moving forward and are
speaking for the marginalised community but the problem lies in the fact that
this concludes that the marginalised and the minority communities are voiceless
and cannot speak for themselves, which is not the case. They just need a
platform to speak for themselves and don't need any spokesperson for the
same, which makes it extremely important for there to be greater accessibility
of individuals within the minority to speak and represent themselves. People
should help in giving them this platform without having any ulterior motives.
An ally must recognize their privilege and understand that with this
aforementioned privilege, they are the powerful voices alongside oppressed ones
and they should only help them and not take their spotlight from them. By
attempting to take their agency away from them, the works of the people from
these communities are taken away and co-opted at best, and erased at worst.
Co-opting occurs due to ignorance and ignorance is not bliss, in this case.
The simple truth is that even
though some progress may come forthwith representation within politics for
minorities, there still exists a great deal of work that begins at a community level with the grit of boots on the
ground, this needs to be expanded at a community level- which includes bringing
about awareness, accommodation and sensitization as values that need to be
prioritized. It is a process that recognizes the need for allies to understand
their role in collaboration with people whose lives are affected daily by
systemic oppression.
Anyone can be an ally by:
- Listening- Listen to what
marginalized people are saying – face-to-face, with filtering social media
feed or in the articles one reads. It’s not about you, your feelings or
opinions; it’s about hearing theirs.
- Educating oneself- Seek out books, articles,
films, etc. about the history and current issues facing marginalized
communities
- Getting Involved- Join local groups working
for social justice. Subscribe to their email lists, follow them on social
media and show up to support their work.
- Showing up and taking action- When someone from a
marginalized community invites you to an event, go – be there to listen,
learn and show your support.
- Speaking Out- When a friend, family member, co-worker or stranger says something hateful or ignorant, call them out on it. Silence allows oppression to continue.
- Intervening - When someone is being targeted – physically or verbally – intervene only with their permission. Focus on supporting them rather than engaging the aggressor.
- Welcoming discomfort- When you encounter something that makes you uncomfortable, don’t dismiss it.
Sit with it, ask yourself ‘why?’ and welcome it as an opportunity to grow.
- Learning- Mistakes are normal in the process of learning. When someone calls you out, don’t get defensive. Listen, apologize and change your behaviour going forward.
- Staying Engaged- Even when the work gets difficult, stay engaged. Oppression is constant, and marginalized people do not have the privilege of “turning off” their pain or negative experiences.
- Donating- Commit to financially support a local organization doing social justice work in your community; not just once but on an ongoing basis.
By remembering and following all these things- an “ally in making” works “with” and not “for” anyone- which is what being an ally means, in a true sense. Keeping quiet is not an option in today’s scenario, more than ever, as even silence would mean siding with injustice or being complacent. So, when injustice rears its ugly head, join the discussion with the minorities instead of distancing yourself, and ask yourself as to how you can support the communities. Find out who was talking, help to amplify their voice, make sure people are listening and pass them the mic and see the magic and positivity from inclusivity that enfolds.
By- Supriya Singh, Content Creation Team
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