The word ally is a fraught word among progressives who are engaged in organizing work. There are many definitions for ally, I am choosing a relatively broad one. An ally is anyone who works to be supportive of organizing to change unjust social structures, but who does not themselves identify as a member of the group being impacted by those structures. White people supportive of Black Lives Matter, men supportive of intersectional feminism, anyone could increase the list. There are hosts of excellent resources out there for how to do a better job at being an ally—don’t put yourself in the center and don’t make demands are a good start. My experience, however, is that the entire endeavor of being an ally is corrupted from the start. There are three fundamental problems with the basic model of being an ally.
The collision of these three realities can result in allies becoming a significant obstacle to a group of people organizing. These problems are so serious and so fundamental to being an ally that I believe that would-be allies should consider whether they are doing more harm than good. The first part of this will elaborate on the three problems and why they are inescapable under the normal model of being an ally. The second part will lay out an alternative model of what it means to forge alliances across difference and organize for change with diversity as a value.
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AuthorI'm a Christian, a progressive, a pastor, and a community organizer. Archives
August 2017
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