Dear Allies

Dear Allies,

Thank you!

Thank you for speaking up.  Thank you for fighting back.  Thank you for doing your part.

People oppressed by the patriarchy deal with a lot of shit, from violent trauma to micro-aggressions.  Allies don't leave the social justice work to them.  Allies don't sit back while they do all of the heavy lifting.  Allies step up.

Sometimes someone makes a nasty comment and I think, "Ugh, what an ass!  But this isn't a safe space, and I'm not sure that I want to speak up right now.  Maybe I should just let that one go."  But if it isn't a safe space for me, how much less safe is it for others?  If I'm cringing at that nasty comment, who else might have heard it, and what might they think?

I was about to go off on a tangent about speaking up!  I'll save that one for later, or we'll be here all day.

For now, let me reaffirm my commitment.  I'll keep striving to be a better ally.  I'll keep my progressive goals in mind.  I'll continue to think of the people I'm fighting for.  I'll continue to think of everyone negatively affected by all of this bullshit and how much better all lives will be with each step of progress.

Thank you, allies.  Keep fighting.  There's a lot of work to be done, and the more of us there are to carry the burden, the lighter the load will feel.

In solidarity,
with love,
Frank Lee