Ally is a Verb
This time of year, we think especially hard about who we are and what is important to us. Many of our subscribers are old enough to vote, and even the ones who aren't have the power to be allies.
But ally isn't just a noun. It's also a verb.
Allying is more than support of. Allying is standing with and standing for.
I bought my first business when I was 27 years old. Actually, I bought three. Each had been in the community for years - the oldest two were older than I was.
The responsibility of being these businesses’ steward was intimidating. They’d had personalities that aligned with mine in places and diverged in others. I was cautious about where I infused me and my values and opinions into them. I was cautious because I was scared.
That is not the case now.
I have my name on this one. Not the one on my birth certificate, or even the one most people call me, but the one I answer to among most 1 to 10-year-olds in my circle. They’re watching, which makes me braver.
Here’s what I believe:
Women’s rights are human rights. Efforts to control women’s bodies are thinly-veiled efforts to control women.
Sugar loves everybody. Sugar who loves anybody who loves anybody else. And Sugar loves tutus.
Love is love. Is love. Is love. And the world needs more love.
Black lives matter. We’ve never had to be reminded that the other ones do.
Science is real, and scientists aim to protect us.
Privilege is real. Certain systems were built to keep certain populations oppressed, and successfully continue to do so.
Our ancestors wanted us to be able to own guns. They also wanted us to be able to own people. It’s time to sensibly revise.
America is a nation of immigrants. Closing the door behind you is audacious hypocrisy.
Fear thwarts the good that exists in all of us. I truly believe there is good in all of us.
Saying and writing these things is a start. Living them is the journey, full of wrong turns and carelessly or mindlessly hitting potholes - but still going, always.
I am an ally, as a noun. To call myself that, I have to ally, as a verb. I have to remember my values in everything I say and do - don’t say or do.
My values of adventure and curiosity mean that I:
Enjoy learning and trying new things, and embrace the outcomes - good and bad. Like most folks, I don’t like to learn that I was wrong, or that I’m bad at something, so I choose to focus on the opportunity to learn sooner than later. Onward.
Get to find out what makes people tick. Fascinating!
Spend a lot of time happily plummeting down rabbit holes.
My values of community and belonging mean that I:
Engage with people who ally in different ways and for different things. We can disagree without disrespect.
Rally support for the causes and organizations that are meaningful to me.
My values of humor and joy mean that I:
Have said and done things for a laugh that were hurtful to others, and have apologized accordingly.
Launched a postcard business that facilitates spreading joy.
Am generally silly and sometimes particularly ridiculous.
This, of course, is an incomplete list.
Please consider your allyship and how that shows up. A few ideas for allying:
Write a note of support to an organization who allies for the things and people that you do
Write to your elected officials (even if you're not old enough to vote for them!) about your allyship
Do something that feels like the right action for you and write about it - to yourself, or to inspire someone else
And keep going, always.