It’s Time for White Allies to Step Up
And I promise that I will listen and learn and be there
Humanity Should Equal Unity
Helplessness. Futility. Frustration. Anger. Hurt. Sadness. Fear. Pain. All are words that mean different things to different people, but we all share these emotions. We are human and, in our humanity, we are unified.
Except that we aren’t. Our humanness should be the bond that draws us together. And yet those same feelings divide us. We are afraid of anything different. We feel helpless or frustrated and lash out. Our anger and hurt keep us from seeing the humanity in one another.
Learn about what it means to have racial privilege. Courtney Yahn does a good job of breaking down the basics of white privilege. —How You Can Be An Ally to the Black Lives Matter Movement, greatbigstory.com
Sitting in White Privilege
For far too long, my black and brown brothers and sisters have born the brunt of this divide. For far too long, I have not been loud enough or quiet enough to be a true ally. For far too long, my silence has been deafening and my words not meaningful or helpful. My privilege has been front and center.
Take a stand against injustice. Take risks. It is scary, difficult, and may bring up feelings of inadequacy, lact of self-confidence, indecition, or fear of making mistakes, but ultimitately it is the only healthy and moral human thing to do. Intervene in situations where racism is being passed on. — Paul Kivel, Guidelines for Being Strong White Allies
My Promise
That ends now. I pledge to be a worthy ally. I promise to sit and listen, to truly hear your stories. I will not lecture or argue, but I will call out racial injustice where ever I see it, whenever I see it. I will march and protest and have real conversations. There are so many resources for white people who truly want to be allies. I’m urging you to join me in my quest to know more, to be more. Read, learn, listen and act. We can and should do better.
