Allyship Sunday: Amplifying Voices Of Faith

If you read this blog with any regularity, you may have noticed that my book reviews tend to focus on marginalized voices. There are two reasons for that. First, it really is most of what I read. Right now, those are the people doing the best work in science fiction and fantasy. But it's also about amplifying marginalized voices. It's Allyship Sunday, so let's talk about that.

As I have written previously, ally is a verb. No one gets to just announce themselves an ally without putting in any of the work. Sometimes that means speaking up when and where others can't. Sometimes that means retweeting marginalized voices and amplifying them. And sometimes it means writing about how awesome they are, and how great the work they do is.

I do that in an implicit way with book reviews and such, but once in a while, it's good to do it directly. So let's talk about some amazing people. This time, I want to focus on people of faith, because all too often faith is equated with bigotry, and there certainly are plenty of people of just about every religion who have done evil in the name of their faith. Importantly, these people do not struggle only for folks of their own faith or race or creed. They fight for other marginalized people and communities. They exemplify allyship while being on the front lines of their own struggles.

Linda Sarsour

Feminist, Muslim, Palestinian, and American. Linda Sarsour is here to fuck up your expectations and stereotypes. And, yes, she's extremely critical of the country I live in. But when Neo Nazis wreaked havoc on a US cemetery, she helped raise money to rebuild it. She is an example that being critical of Israel does not have to do anything with antisemitism (though, of course, sometimes it has everything to do with that). Sarsour was one of the organizers of The Women's March in response to 45's election, and is a powerful voice for social change.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

Image from Danya Ruttenberg's website
If I were a religious man, and could pick my Rabbi, Danya Ruttenberg would be the person I chose. She is an author, a speaker, an activist for equality. Her faith clearly informs her activist and social awareness, and it is also the major theme of her books.

Sarah Gailey

Image credit: © Raj Anand 2017
When you think "evangelical Christian," the image in your mind is probably not that of queer feminist science fiction author Sarah Gailey. Sarah is both a brilliant author and a terrific activist. Their piece in the Boston Globe about having PTSD is just a punch to the gut.

Valerie Kaur

With Sikh civil rights activist and lawyer Kaur, you gotta start with her TED talk. The talk is 22 minutes long, so let me TL:DW it for you: Love is a revolutionary force. Love for our allies, our enemies, and ourselves. But do watch it, because the TL:DW doesn't do it justice. It made me cry.