Regardless of how good your intentions may be, there are MANY ways in which allyship can just as easily be counterproductive and only reinforce the status quo. If you are someone who enjoys privileges of any kind, it is essential that you engage in a more conscious and open manner. Saying your an ally or offering help, is not nearly enough. Collected here are 5 simple rules to practice to ensure you are truly working towards a more equal society. These rules often overlap and reinforce each other and should be practiced daily. They are:
If you're here at Rebecca Crown Library's research guides, nice job! Taking an active interest in researching these issues requires both ground level interaction and self-educating through research. Remember, it is no one's responsibility to educate you on the imbalanced society that you have already been participating in. Think about it, if they face more hardships than you, do you really want to task them with explaining why it is difficult and how you can help?
Allyship is a verb! What does that mean? It's not enough to be an ally, it is much better to ally everyday. By 'allying' we mean that one must continuously be active in the ways listed above and more. Everyday should involve listening, reflecting, researching, privilege checks, and raising awareness. Allyship is not a state of being but a challenging, open ended journey.