DSJSW Week Seven, Post Two (Synthesis & Connection)

     While not all people may idenitfy with a cause or an issue, all people have the ability to contribute to the advancement of an agenda that they care about. This is what allyship is. To be a proper ally, you must be able to respect another;s interpretation of issues and events, understand who has privilege and how they use it, and know that the duty to fight for equity and equality cannot only burden those who are marginalized.

There are many different ways to be an ally, but some steps a specific depending on the cause or group that you are fighting for. For example, if you want to be an ally to the tran community, you can work towards donating or volunteering at organizations that support the tran community. By using preferred pronouns, asking about gender in an inclusive manner, humanizing trans individuals, promoting gender neutral restrooms and nondiscrimination policies, anyone can show their allyship to the trans community and their solidarity for the cause. 

There are also general steps that a person can take to show allyship no matter what cause they are working to support. Showing up is the most important thing that a person can do, because actions will always speak louder than words. Furthermore, the community in question must be empowered enough to invite help, to avoid a savior complex from those who are working to be allies. By being authentic about yourself and being to truly acknowledge similarities and differences between yourself and the group you are working to help, you are able to build honest connections and relationships. Finally, each ally must have their own aspirational vision of what justice looks like to them, and be able to analyze and understand sources of injustice. Each person has the ability to contribute to movements they are passionate about, but it is important that they take the correct steps to achieve that. 

Important work like this should not fall on the shoulders of those that are already marginalized, so effective allyship is crucial to the success of any social justice movement.