Stand With Me: 3 Allyship Actions
allyship- noun
al·ly·ship | \ ˈa-ˌlī-ˌship , ə-ˈlī- \: the state or condition of being an ally : supportive association with another person or group
Years ago, someone who mentored me in the diversity and inclusion space taught me this phrase:
“You don’t have to be one to stand with.”
Nine powerful words.
The message is simple but its impact is profound.
It is essentially saying, “I don’t have to have your lived experience to stand with you in the face of injustice.”
It is the reason Christians protected praying Muslims in Egypt during violent protests.
It’s the reason days later, a group of Muslims returned the favor.
It’s the reason that neighbors in Orange County created a watch to guard the home of a Chinese family being harassed.
It’s the reason African American along with Asian American communities in Oakland are working together to build a bridge of healing and understanding to manage the siege of racism exploding in the United States.
You don’t have to be one to stand with.
3 Actions of An Ally:
1. Find the Common Ground: Discover the space to engage in the commonality of the human experience.
2. Fight Injustice with Tangible Justice: Go beyond hashtags and find a way to actually help.
3. Feel the Pain of the Oppressed: Get in the shoes of the hurting and consider how it might feel if it were you.
None of us can do everything. But all of us can do something.
New York based artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya (creator of above picture) is using art to amplify her voice. Most recently featured in latest Time Magazine emphasizing the history of American Anti-Asian violence.
That’s Amanda’s something.
What is yours?
It doesn’t have to be your lived experience.
It doesn’t have to be your neighborhood.
It doesn't have to be your family.
It doesn’t have to be you.
You don’t have to be one to stand with.
Stand with them. Stand with me. Let me stand with you.
Let’s stand together.
We all fall when we don’t.
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
- German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller