Why It's Important To Have Diversity Within Your Friends

 

Friendship is one of the most valued form of relationships that people can have. I know that I love and value my friends as much as I love and value my family, and I treat them accordingly. My friends have taught me so much about myself and the world, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

As a white, cisgendered woman, I was definitely born with privileges that many people are not fortunate enough to have. Because of my privilege, it's important to be able to put myself in a position where I am able to help speak up for people in certain spaces in which they might not otherwise have a voice.

I was always aware of my privilege, but that is not to say that having friends of diverse racial, religious, political, and sexual backgrounds didn't help me discover how to use my privilege for good.

Learning about how to be a good ally to minority groups can best be done in a space in which you can listen to those minority groups. It is easiest to learn from people who have experienced these parts of life firsthand, because it is easier to connect with their accounts. 

If you sympathize with a person, it is easier to find yourself aligning with their beliefs. This is not me saying that I think, for example, that it is a black individuals job to entirely educate a white individual on what it means to be a good ally to black people, but I am saying that if you are close with people who face racial injustice, you are more likely to do something about it. 

The same thing goes for queer individuals. If you are close with queer people in any way, you are more likely to stand up against the discrimination that they face.

A phrase that has stuck with me throughout my life has been "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." (Desmond Tutu).