There are many things about our country that make me very scared. I’m scared that Donald Trump could become president and make this country even less great than whenever Donald Trump thinks it was at its greatest. I’m scared of terrorism, domestic or international. I’m scared of misogyny and the various forms it may take to hurt me.

There are plenty of things for me to be scared of, but there are also things that I know I personally don’t have to fear. I don’t have to worry about being gunned down by police officers for wearing a hoodie, reaching for my cellphone in my pocket, or being pulled over for a traffic violation. I don't have to worry about these things because I have white skin. I don’t have to worry about being vilified and demonized for my religion, and I won't have to defend it to people who believe extremists are in the majority. I was never bullied for my sexual orientation. I will never have to explain my sexuality, or experience violence because of whom I love. I am in an extremely privileged position as a straight white person, and I’m not sure what to do with that privilege.

While I’m not sure exactly what I can do to advocate for equal treatment of all humans and try and protect members of marginalized groups, I do know that one of the worst things I can do is remain silent. Complacency is what allows history to repeat itself, something which will promote a national climate of hatred, fear, inequity, and instability. Like myself, many people will watch the video of Alton Sterling’s son crying for his father and sob. But empathy is simply not enough. I’m not sure what it will take to stop gun violence, stop racism, stop intolerance, but I know that I cannot continue to pretend that nothing is happening because that equates to enabling this cycle to keep repeating.

I want to be a good ally, and I’m trying to find out how. This is something important to me and something I wanted to write and express my anger about, but I know that there are people whose perspectives matter much more than mine; those who are directly affected. Following the recent shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, I've seen a lot of ignorance and confusion just from glancing at social media websites like Twitter and Facebook. Education is vital, but it's not the responsibility of black people to educate. I've learned a lot from reading articles by black authors, and I hope to keep learning more so I can be a proper ally. Here’s my attempt to address/answer these popular comments and statements I’ve seen written by white people on social media.

1. “Why use the exclusive term ‘Black Lives Matter’ instead of saying ‘All Lives Matter?’”

Nobody who uses the term or hashtag “Black Lives Matter” is denying that all lives matter. Our judicial system seems to perfectly understand that white lives matter, proven by the fact that white people who are known to be dangerous often leave the scene of their crimes. For example, a man who killed nine black people in a church was removed from the scene in a bulletproof vest. This can be contrasted with the innocent black people who have been killed for such "crimes" as playing with toy guns, having broken taillights, and selling CDs. The justice system is failing people of color and people seem to be forgetting that black lives do indeed matter. So yes, all lives do matter, but all people are not born susceptible to being victims of violence just because of the color of their skin, and it’s important to recognize that before minimizing or erasing the plight of people of color.

2. “What is privilege? Also, I definitely don't have it.”

When you have privilege, you have unearned benefits that are given to you because you belong to a certain group. There are many different kinds of privilege that are factors of a person’s identity including economic class, sexual orientation, race, ability, etc. I’ve seen many people online getting defensive or offended when their privilege is pointed out. We are born with our privileges and they are out of our control. But acknowledging which aspects of our identity make us privileged and trying to begin to fathom what life is like for those who don’t have these privileged factors of identity is important and makes us more compassionate as people.

3. “My family member/friend/neighbor/local cop is a cop, so I can’t support people who say all cops are corrupt/racist.”

I also believe that it is wrong to say that all cops are bad when there are tons of amazing law enforcement officers. I have a real appreciation for police officers, but when a disproportionate pattern of police brutality against black people exists like it does, I think it’s important that everyone asks questions and demands answers to ensure that this does not become our legacy. I think comedian Jon Stewart said it best when he said, “...you can truly grieve for every officer who’s been lost in the line of duty in this country, and still be troubled by cases of police overreach. Those two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can have regard for law enforcement and still want them to be held to high standards.”

4. "Why do people have to make everything about race?"

People are not making everything about race. When black men are 3.5 times more likely to get killed by the police than white men, that indicates that this is indeed about race. Following the shooting of Philando Castile, the governor of Minnesota asked "Would this have happened if the passenger, the driver were white? I don't think it would have." Denying that race plays a part in these events often has to do with being unable to look beyond a personal bubble of privilege.

I want to be a good ally, and I intend to be open to acknowledging my privilege and taking whatever steps necessary to become educated on what I will never experience firsthand. Although I will never understand what it's like to be a black person in America, I want to do whatever I can to talk about these issues with other white people and add to a dialogue that is important for change to occur in this country. Right now I'm not sure what I can do except to listen and take cues from black Americans, and work to fight ignorance whenever I can.