When you set a meeting to discuss a social justice issue, choose a space, neighborhood, or establishment that is non-White. The White habitus is pretty dominant, and most of us live in it so much that it may be a challenge to think of spaces where most people wouldn’t be White. And unfortunately, most people assume that non-White spaces are violent, run down, and unsafe, even when they have spent very little time in non-White spaces. TV and other media programming, family member messages, and peer group preferences keep you uninformed.
But if your mission is to forward social justice, even if you are just having a courageous conversation among other allies to get you started, situating yourself in a space where you are not the majority benefits you:
One, you get to support a Person of Color’s business.
Two, you have a temporary moment of not being in the majority that can give you a new frame of reference for how you wish to advocate.
Three, you grow your comfort with People of Color, because you get to see humans being human, rather than theoretical causes to advance. Your humanity blooms.
It’s a simple step, but an important one in the commitment to allyship. Every non-White space won’t immediately welcome you, and that makes perfect sense, because (name several incidents of White terrorism of People of Color). However, more often than not, you’ll be treated like the human you are. Some folks will even try to over-accommodate you, but that’s another post for another day.
Happy #SocialJusticeSundays!