If you spend a lot of time on twitter, I'm sure you’re aware of what's known as “black twitter” and if not, it's self-explanatory, black twitter is an informal community comprised of black people in both the UK and the US that come together to focus on issues concerning both the black community and others. As a black woman myself who spends an unhealthy amount of time on twitter and naturally have found myself coming across black twitter, I've noticed that while the issues discussed typically reflect the experiences of the majority of those that are black British, black twitter has somehow managed to come across as a monolith. Black people come in all shapes, sizes and variations and this isn’t respected or acknowledged enough by those in the community and those that are allies.
For me personally, if you’re planning on being an ally to a community, it's important to understand that not everyone is the same, and to be an ally, means to be an ally to ALL within that community. While on the topic, it's important to recognise that putting Black Lives Matter or BLM in your twitter bio isn’t enough. The struggles that black people go through are very real and happen on a day-to-day basis so performative actrivism isn’t quite going to cut it.
I can’t count the number of times that I've gone on twitter and seen people dragging someone that they don’t see as “black enough” for the way that they talk or carry themselves, all the meanwhile supposed ‘allies’ are laughing and joining in on the jokes. Growing up in the part of London that I'm from, I’ve always felt as though I’m too black for the non-black people, and too white for the black people, being told that I sound “too white” or that I would be more attractive if I had lighter skin. Not all black people are easy to categorise and they don’t have to be either. If allyship depends on how bad the struggle is or what ‘type’ of black person it affects, don’t bother as you may be better keeping your artificial allyship to yourself.
So, what does being a good ally mean? I'd say there are 4 steps:
Education: Educate yourself with a genuine interest in finding out about that community.
Being self-aware: Reflect and recognise that you may have certain privileges that you can use to your advantage in favour of that community.
Get comfortable: Some conversations may be hard to have and to be a good ally means that you’re prepared to have them.
Finally, accept that black people and other POC’s are not a monolith: Grouping everyone together erases individuality and in turn, erases individual experiences.
We all have to start somewhere, something as little as correcting someone when they use inappropriate language to speak about a black person or a POC is a great step in the right direction to being a good ally to that community.
---- Rebekah Akinyele, BAME Officer
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