Allyship and Activism

Insight
Reading these materials has given me significant insight. The topic of Direct Action,
Collective Histories, and Activism is interesting. Activism was first initiated by people who were
non-conforming such as the people of color and those who lacked financial security. Today,
people riot and protest when they feel that their rights are overlooked, and they need to get the
attention of responsible bodies such as politicians and policymakers. The three protests captured
in this section shared various characteristics. First, the riots took place in a neighborhood located
in the impoverished part of the urban center. Second, these places share some social-economic
characteristics. Third, the areas were extremely diverse (Haefele-Thomas & Combs, 2019). I find
this resource insightful, especially because it depicts some of the social issues that lead to riots
and protests. The knowledge and understanding of such problems allow policymakers to
formulate effective strategies to curb and prevent future riots and protests.
Favorite Resource
Resource on Learning to be an Alley for People from Diverse Groups and Backgrounds
is the most interesting of them all. It has real-life contents that, when applied in contemporary
society, can help create a utopian community. Promoting leadership of people in groups that
traditionally don’t take leadership positions carries more weight. Individuals can be allies by
promoting people into leadership roles. Such empowers them to be responsible for their lives and
remain independent. Traditionally, populations such as women, immigrants, and people of color
were denied leadership positions (Axner, 2020). Providing such people with formal and informal
leadership training, mentoring, and supporting them in leadership and elections for local offices

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can significantly promote them to leadership. Once in leadership positions, such people may
need more support, especially because they have less work experience. The topic is easy to
understand and can be related to real-life experiences.

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Reference

Axner, M. (2020). Section 5. Learning to be an Ally for People from Diverse Groups and
Backgrounds. Community Tool Box at the University of Kansas
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/be-an-ally/main
Haefele-Thomas, A. & Combs, T. (2019). Chapter 4: Direct Action, Collective Histories, and
Collective Activism: What a riot! Introduction to Transgender Studies. Harrington Park
Press, LLC. http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=e025xna&AN=2010690&site=edslive&scope=site&profile=edsebook&e
bv=EB&ppid=pp_130