WANDERINGINLOVE: Blogs You Should Read:

Through this series of notes, I will share links of Blog posts and/or websites I’ve found that I see as being too great to keep to myself.

These resources will come from a variety of areas of service and interests, with the common theme being a focus on issues related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice.

Some of them will be websites that I regularly look to for information and inspiration for my own personal growth, advocacy, and professional development, while others will be resources that I may have just discovered and want to get the word out.

Today’s Note highlights the blog WANDERINGINLOVE.

The Link

wanderinginlove.wordpress.com

Why I like it

Written by Dr. Sarah J. Jackson, this blog, dedicated to Dr. Jackson’s “desire to build bridges between the good work being done in the ivory tower and the good work being done in the streets” encourages me in my own work to make similar connections.

A sample post (or posts) from the site that I’ve read, and think you should too.

Title: “On Being an Ally“.

“In the realm of social justice work, an ally is generally understood to be a person who takes these actions in relation to a group or groups who have been, and continue to be, in some way disenfranchised. Allies are necessary to any movement for equality, but sometimes self-proclaimed allies make serious missteps. The ally fails I’ve witnessed of late—and there have been quite a few—inspired me to begin writing this post. “What’s an ally fail?” you ask.

Ally Fail (verb): 1) to say or do something insensitive (aka boneheaded, aka uninformed, aka privilege-soaked) regarding a group or groups you claim to be allied with; generally accompanied by the refusal to acknowledge your mistake (aka spiraling into self-righteousness, aka da’ nile is not just a river in Egypt) (My Personal Dictionary).

1. Privilege exists, and you have it. And guess what? That doesn’t make you a bad person; it makes you a person who has the social power to challenge inequality in ways that others perhaps don’t, and, it makes you a person who should take responsibility for having conversations about these privileges. I truly believe that anyone who wants to be an ally needs to start with some serious self-reflection. Try this, sit down with a piece of paper and make a list of the social privileges you have by no merit of your own. For example, white privilege, male privilege, hetero privilege, economic privilege, etc.”

I stumbled upon this entry over a year ago, and I still refer to it from time to time. I see it as being a great read for aspiring humanitarians in all walks of life. I hope you enjoy this reflection as much as I did. I also hope that you are able to see areas where you might fit in to the equation of allyhood yourself.

Continue Reading Qn Being an Ally.

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins, MSW

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