On Being a Better Ally

I was originally intending to publish a very different blog today, a fun little restaurant review that I had created for a writing competition, but it feels wholly wrong to be speaking about anything other than what is currently happening in America.

The news about George Floyd’s death is upsetting, but sadly not shocking to anyone. We have been here so many times before. But what makes this tragic news even more upsetting is the dangerous response from authorities and police.

While President Trump actually tweeted his support of predominantly white lockdown protesters and has previously spoken positively about right-wing protesters in Charlottesville, his response to people protesting the unlawful death of George Floyd strikes a terrifyingly different tone. In a tweet flagged by Twitter as ‘potentially inciting violence’ he called the protesters ‘thugs’ and borrowed a phrase from Miami’s former police chief, Walter E. Headley, who was known for his racist policies: ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’.

It is horrifying to live in a world where the President of the United States cares more about protecting material possessions than the lives of Black citizens.

I am aware that, as a young, white woman, I have a certain amount of privilege, and that I am straying into a topic on which I have no personal experience. I am also aware, however, that I am fortunate enough to have this platform, and that there are people who read what I put out into the world (even if its only a few of you!). To stay silent at this moment would be simply irresponsible.

I do not feel that I have anything new to add to this conversation, and I realise that there is still a lot of work I need to do personally to improve my allyship and I am taking steps to do so. I have seen so many people sharing incredible resources across social media which is wonderful. What is important, however, is that we are actually reading these resources, not simply posting a pretty graphic showing our support and advertising our ‘wokeness’. Now is the time to get reading, listening, unlearning, and actually acting as the allies we proclaim to be. I include myself in this statement.

I am not the right person to speak on this topic, so with that in mind, I would like to point you towards some of the people who are doing incredible work in this area. I have curated a list of some of the resources I have found educational and some I am still yet to read myself.

While I am promoting these books, I also want to highlight a post by Reni Eddo-Lodge on the matter:

‘Because of the past week’s horrible and tragic events, I’ve noticed a marked uptick in people recommending my book. I’m asking everyone who buys a copy to please match however much you bought it with a donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Better yet, borrow a copy from a friend/your local library and donate what you would have spent to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. This book financially transformed my life and I really don’t like the idea of profiting every time a video of a black person’s death goes viral.
If you are going to buy a copy, please order from your local, independent bookshop (let’s keep them going during this pandemic) and also donate to your local and national racial injustice organisations, if you can spare the funds’