Chippys_mittensYour opinion is important
ZagorathI worry about this sometimes. I don’t ever want to be seen as speaking “for” minorities I’m not a member of, but I do want to be seen speaking “up for” them. And I worry about finding the right balance. I don’t want to speak over them, but do want to help make it clear that I support them and I am opposed to those who are opposed to them. I don’t want to be MLK’s “white moderate”.
I heard this once, and it’s stuck with me since: don’t speak for people that you don’t speak to. It helps me remember that I don’t understand the conditions a marginalized community faces if I’m not a part of it, and I should do the work of listening and understanding before inserting myself into a situation with perhaps well-intentioned, but misguided, attempts at helping.