There have been far too many unfortunate shootings lately which have stirred up many debates and riots. I've noticed that many people claim to "support" these minority communities—women, LGBTQ+ and minority races—but don't speak up during these rough times.
Staying mute in this time of mourning, loss and confusion does not equate to support. Sometimes celebrities do not use their platform to speak up about a pressing issue but claim to be a feminist or ally. When a community needs your voice to help, what good is it to stay quiet? If you don't have enough information or education on the topic, get informed. In this technologically advanced era, a simple Google search can give you basic facts about a situation. Nobody is expecting anybody to know everything about everything. But when you don't use your power and position in the media to help change our society for the better, what is the point anymore?
If you want to stay mute on topics just so you don't lose fans and popularity, you don't deserve to have such an influential voice. Minorities often don't get a chance to speak up as shown by recent events, so the least you, as an ally, can do is raise our voice for us.
In this day and age, an online movement can start riots and changes. Why not take a few minutes, get informed and then show your support? Is your ego that important to you that you can't even do this much? I'm not asking you to commit your entire life to this. All I'm asking is that if you're going to call yourself an ally, act the part. Support us in our times of need and loss. Take a minute to recognize our losses without worrying about your reputation being hurt.
Being an ally is not for your benefit. Being an ally benefits the minority. You give us a voice that we cannot get otherwise. When you don't use your voice to help us, you're not helping anybody. Your title of "ally" is worthless now and you have lost creditability within the group you supposedly supported.
If you don't want to be public about your support with posting on social media, the least you can do is be there for your friends in minorities. Listen to what they have to say and let them know you are there to help.
Enough with the #AllLivesMatter because they do. We already know that. This is about getting justice for minorities. Remember that Whites are getting off with minimal consequences for murders and rapes while Blacks and gays were murdered for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Remember that they did not get a choice in why they were killed. Remember that their stories will continue to be twisted by the media just to make it seem like they were the bad guys in the situation. Remember that when you try to argue that Whites deserve rights.
I'm part of 3 minorities—LGBTQ, female, and Indian. I've gone through more racist and sexist situations in the past few months than I have in the past few years. The worst part is I'm used to it—all the snark remarks, nasty looks and parents purposely taking their kids in a different direction or pulling them in closer when walking past me. This needs to change. And I'm not saying my life is more difficult than others because there are other minorities that have it worse off than me. However, my point is that there is oppression in the United States. If you fail to recognize and accept that, then you're part of the problem.
