Look folks, it’s time to graduate from allyship. (Thread)

#GeorgeFloyd #AmyCooper https://twitter.com/mspackyetti/status/1265314497151078402

(If you follow me on IG, you saw this thread in a caption, but sharing it here for good measure.)

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‘Black Girl Dangerous’ published a piece called “No More Allies.” Mia McKenzie challenged the usefulness of a word that was gaining popularity. https://www.bgdblog.org/2013/09/no-more-allies/

That was 2013. 7 years later, the word has reached a peak. No longer the just activist jargon, it’s common vernacular. Ally has gone pop.

Predictably, ally’s intentions have been smoothed for mainstream comfort. Less action, more cookie seeking.

An ally Girl Scout badge.

We big up ourselves for outdated actions & stale results, doing more to congratulate ourselves than we are for justice.

To quote Mia, “It’s not supposed to be a performance. It’s supposed to be a way of living your life…” https://www.bgdblog.org/2013/09/no-more-allies/

In a season of commencements, it’s time to graduate from ‘ally.’
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Here’s a brief but hopefully helpful understanding of what this means:

ALLIES care but act when convenient. Allies take little risk to their comfort & seek personal recognition for momentary action.

ACCOMPLICES take on more risks & more often get in the way of oppression. They disrupt, but engagement may vary with privilege.

CO-CONSPIRATORS know they are not free until everyone is free & act like it. They don’t just disrupt, they build. Not episodic actions, but ever-evolving mindsets and lifestyles. They seek permission from the most oppressed & listen more than they speak.

For co-conspirators, risk is how they spend their privilege best. They don’t set the agenda, they follow the marginalized. They don’t want cookies-they want justice.

“Graduate” is almost unfair-because all of us-me too!-are constantly improving and then punching backward. We must consistently reflect, learn & improve on times we still show up as allies, instead of co-conspirators.

And while we may have grown on one axis of your privilege-what about the others? (Hint: we have many).

Share this with someone you want to grow as co-conspirators with. Hold one another accountable. Revisit this conversation often.

There’s no time to waste. LFG!!