5 Tips For Being An Ally

Synopsis:

Activist and Youtuber Franchesca Ramsey provides 5 tips for being an effective ally: understand your privilege; listen, and do your homework; speak up, not over; know you’ll make mistakes, but apologize when you do; and understand that ally is a verb. Overall, the 5 tips provided by Ramsey outline how to assist oppressed groups through supporting those around you without silencing or oppressing them yourself. By following these tips, allies may avoid the pitfalls that may come with their privilege. Allies will make mistakes, as Ramsey states, however these mistakes can be mitigated through the support that her tips provide.

Rationale:

Franchesca Ramsey’s 5 tips for being an effective ally is an incredibly useful and concise resource for those wanting to learn how they can be a better ally and effectively support oppressed groups. The tips Ramsey provides are important in that they address common issues and misconceptions when it comes to allyship; for example, understanding one’s privilege can be difficult and jarring when one does not understand exactly what that means. The quote “it’s not about your intent, it’s about your impact” is also incredibly important, as it describes how the intent of an ally may be pure and positive but their impact could be problematic. Finally, Ramsey’s 5th tip, understanding that ally is a verb, is vital in effective allyship; we cannot simply claim that we are allies without taking action.

URL/Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dg86g-QlM0

Keywords: Privilege, Oppression, Social Media

Author: Austin