Skip to main content

Allyship: Sept. 24 recap, Oct. 1 homework

Good morning everyone!  Below is your weekly recap of the Allyship Series, and some questions to begin thinking about in the coming week.

Summary of Sunday discussion 9/24
This week, we looked at our first step toward becoming a better ally, which is:

Step 1: Educate yourself on the realities of poverty (or other oppressions)
An ally should try to learn as much as possible directly from members of communities that have experienced poverty, allowing them to speak in their own words rather than only through economically privileged "experts." At the same time, an ally takes responsibility for her own learning and does not passively wait to be "educated" by people living in poverty.

We noted a certain tension or paradox in this instruction.  In the first place, since part of oppression is the silencing of people, it is important to let people speak for themselves.  In that vein, I shared a poem and some stories from my mentor Julia Dinsmore.  Here's the YouTube link for her poem as read by Danny Glover:  https://youtu.be/hQWbkVqZKeo

At the same time, people who experience oppression sometimes get justifiably frustrated with being expected to always share their experiences with people with privilege. As allies, waiting around passively until someone "educates" us can be another way of exercising privilege.  So it is helpful to take responsibility for our own learning, whether that be through books, movies, workshops, reflecting on personal relationships/experiences, etc. I shared a blog post from Mia McKenzie about why she doesn't engage with strangers on topics of race, choosing instead to prioritize her own well-being and safety.  If you're interested, here is Mia's website, http://www.blackgirldangerous.com/ although the piece I read is only available through her book, on sale through her website and Amazon.

Reading reflection for the coming week 10/1
Next week we'll be looking at the second step of becoming a better ally, which is educating yourself about oppression and privilege.  In the book this is page 27 - 53.  I'll warn you that this is one of the denser chapters, drawing heavily from thinkers Paulo Friere, Donna Beegle, and Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart.

Some questions to ponder as you read and/or go about your week:
Most of us experience a mix of oppression and privilege based on our multi-faceted identities.  We may be female, and white.  We may be gay, and Christian.  We may have been raised poor, and male. What are some ways you've experienced privilege, even while experiencing oppression?
What are ways that privilege has been difficult?  For example, have you struggled with guilt or shame?  Or have you ever felt like the pursuit of things or power disconnected you from other people or your own values?

What are some of the life assumptions that came from your class upbringing?  For instance, based on my middle class experience I always assumed I would go to college, and that I'd get a career that would allow me to pay my student loans.  At the same time, my working class extended family taught me a certain pragmatism about having "a job," and not to get my career and my identity too confused.

Lastly, I just want to say thank you for all the support, interest in the topic, encouragement, copy-editing, coffee-making, network-sharing, etc.  It has been delightful for me to have such a receptive community to share these ideas and pilot this learning experience.  I'm very grateful.

Have a great week, allies, and see you in October,

Annaka