#EarnTheRightToSayHerName: How to be a White Ally by Anne Hathaway
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| Art by Kaylani Juanita |
Well, this week, following the brutal murder of Nia Wilson and attack on her sisters by a White Supremacist (whom I refuse to name because murderers do not deserve the press, but their victims certainly do) many people including celebrities, voiced their outrage, their pain, their sadness, and their resolution to stop the scourge of violent hate that has so plagued communities of color.
We talked about a powerful ally in the powerhouse of writer and author Glennon Doyle, who made it a point to share her voice about Nia, saying;
"...What I am thinking is that the only thing that’s gonna save this country is if white women start standing up and screaming for justice for black women. We don’t. We just don’t. We need to start. We women - all of us- are SISTERS and nobody is coming to protect us. We’ve just got each other. We have got to PROTECT EACH OTHER. The good news is TOGETHER- we are strong enough to do It. If we ever truly showed up for each other.. if we ever collectively looked at power dead in the eyes, together- and said: No justice for our sisters? THEN NO PEACE FROM THE SISTERHOOD. They’d have no choice but to give us justice. They need us. We gotta stop serving a system that doesn’t give a damn about half of us.
When they vilify Nia- as they have and they will since she’s black- call them out. Tell them enough, for God’s sake.
When they excuse the terrorist- as they will since he’s white- call them out. Tell them no: we’ll go ahead and call a terrorist, a terrorist.
Demand justice for Nia.
Stand with our black sisters.
Women: We’ve gotta love each other or die."
(God, I love that woman.) But while I could go on about this powerful and present ally that we have in Glennon, other voices have emerged in Nia's cause.
One of the most surprising of those voices that arose was none other than actress Anne Hathaway.
I am not surprised that Hathaway herself has added her voice to condemn this violence. After all, Anne has previously given both vocal and monetary support for campaigns against the household chore inequality, sexual harassment in the workplace, bullying of gay students and intolerance towards transgender children, and separation of families at the US border.
What surprised me is the manner in which she did it.
Rather than simply condemning this violent, hate-filled murder of an 18-year-old simply waiting on a train platform with her sisters like so many celebrities (which, honestly, would have been enough), Anne also took the time to address White privilege.
Rather than simply condemning this violent, hate-filled murder of an 18-year-old simply waiting on a train platform with her sisters like so many celebrities (which, honestly, would have been enough), Anne also took the time to address White privilege.
Anne shared the following:
"The murder of Nia Wilson- may she rest in the power and peace she was denied here- is unspeakable AND MUST NOT be met with silence. She is not a hash tag; she was a black woman and she was murdered in cold blood by a white man.
White people- including me, including you- must take into the marrow of our privileged bones the truth that ALL black people fear for their lives DAILY in America and have done so for GENERATIONS. White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence.
Given those givens, we must ask our (white)selves- how “decent” are we really? Not in our intent, but in our actions? In our lack of action?
Peace and prayers and JUSTICE for Nia and the Wilson family."
The post may be short, but the point is made. Anne called out violence, murder, injustice, racism, bigotry, apathy, privilege, silence, history in one Instagram post that has since rocked the internet. The statement is so powerful major news outlets, even Fox News, shared it.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is how to be an ally 101.
Clear, concise, and to the point, Anne took to her platform of millions and shared her heart in a call to action so stirring, it made headlines. She didn't seek to dominate the conversation surrounding Black Lives Matter or Nia Wilson. Instead, she sought to add her voice to the rejection of this violence caused by the hatred that is at the very core of this nation for people of color, and to wish both Nia peace in death and comfort to her family in this unimaginable time.
Not only did Anne add her voice to the fray, she allowed her voice to go where the voices of many activists of color (and people of color in general) typically don't go. Directly to her own community. By calling out her own people and placing the fear and pain of Black people into perspective, Anne's voice carried Nia's story to her own people. In doing so, Anne directly addressed one thing that has truly hindered the movement to protect Black Lives; White silence and apathy.
So many of these murders and injustices that happen have happened without much outrage or even mention of people who are not of that community. Or worse, after they do happen, the cycle most White people enter goes like this:
Unfortunately, even poor Nia, who was barely an adult was not immune to this. Fox affiliate network, KTVU found a selfie of Nia holding what appears to be a gun almost immediately after the story of her brutal murder broke. Immediately there was outrage and the public spoke out and the network has since apologized. But the damage has been done, and a narrative gets presented of Black victims making them accountable for the violence that befalls them, even their own murders. And, for whatever reason, be it simply not knowing what to do or say (which is a powerful and honest emotion to convey because, honestly, a lot of us within the Black community feel the same way) or simply being apathetic, White silence only aids in the furthering of these injustices.
What Anne and Glennon and every woman and man who uses their platform to speak truth to power for disenfranchised communities understands are that these injustices are not a Black problem or a woman problem, but that these are a human problem. Just because the victims are from a different community than their own, it does not mean that their stories are not worth telling, that their pain isn't any less palpable, that lives are worth any less, or that their causes are not worth fighting for.
And that is what makes a powerful ally, seeing the human in each other over the differences in one another.
Clear, concise, and to the point, Anne took to her platform of millions and shared her heart in a call to action so stirring, it made headlines. She didn't seek to dominate the conversation surrounding Black Lives Matter or Nia Wilson. Instead, she sought to add her voice to the rejection of this violence caused by the hatred that is at the very core of this nation for people of color, and to wish both Nia peace in death and comfort to her family in this unimaginable time.
Not only did Anne add her voice to the fray, she allowed her voice to go where the voices of many activists of color (and people of color in general) typically don't go. Directly to her own community. By calling out her own people and placing the fear and pain of Black people into perspective, Anne's voice carried Nia's story to her own people. In doing so, Anne directly addressed one thing that has truly hindered the movement to protect Black Lives; White silence and apathy.
So many of these murders and injustices that happen have happened without much outrage or even mention of people who are not of that community. Or worse, after they do happen, the cycle most White people enter goes like this:
- Violence or injustice happens.
- Old pictures or past criminal record is drummed up.
- People use that as justification for the violence or injustice experienced.
- Culture moves on.
Unfortunately, even poor Nia, who was barely an adult was not immune to this. Fox affiliate network, KTVU found a selfie of Nia holding what appears to be a gun almost immediately after the story of her brutal murder broke. Immediately there was outrage and the public spoke out and the network has since apologized. But the damage has been done, and a narrative gets presented of Black victims making them accountable for the violence that befalls them, even their own murders. And, for whatever reason, be it simply not knowing what to do or say (which is a powerful and honest emotion to convey because, honestly, a lot of us within the Black community feel the same way) or simply being apathetic, White silence only aids in the furthering of these injustices.
What Anne and Glennon and every woman and man who uses their platform to speak truth to power for disenfranchised communities understands are that these injustices are not a Black problem or a woman problem, but that these are a human problem. Just because the victims are from a different community than their own, it does not mean that their stories are not worth telling, that their pain isn't any less palpable, that lives are worth any less, or that their causes are not worth fighting for.
And that is what makes a powerful ally, seeing the human in each other over the differences in one another.
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