by Elvenia Gray-Sandiford
So you want to be an ally, do you have what it takes?
When anti-Black racism never makes the stakes.
They ask me to speak, but the words feel hollow,
‘Cause the truth that I live, they don’t want to follow.
As a woman who’s Black, disabled, and aged,
How you gonna stand with me, truly engaged?
Will you pick and choose the parts of me to see,
The pieces that don’t challenge your own reality?
You want to be an ally, but what will you do?
When the parts that define me come into view?
Will you step up when it’s tough, when it’s real?
Or shrink back, hide, afraid to feel?
Will you be there for the struggle, the fight,
Or just for the pieces that make you feel right?
The parts that don’t force you to give up a thing,
The ones that don’t make your conscience sting.
Can you see me fully, in all that I am?
Or will you only ally when it fits in your plan?
You can’t ignore my Blackness, it’s part of me strong,
Not something to hide, not something that’s wrong.
So you want to be an ally, then show me your face,
Step into the discomfort, and hold your place.
Don’t just ally with the parts you can take,
But with all of me, for all our sake.
‘Cause being an ally ain’t just a name,
It’s standing up, facing the flame.
It’s seeing the whole, not just the parts,
And fighting for justice with all your heart.
An ally’s not silent when injustice cries loud,
Not just a face in the sympathetic crowd.
It’s walking beside when the road is rough,
When speaking the truth makes the going tough.
Are you here when the struggle is quiet,
Not just when the spotlight is bright?
Will you stand when the work is unseen,
When justice takes more than one night?
Allyship isn’t a moment—it’s a promise,
A choice to uplift and protect.
So tell me, with truth in your heart,
What are you willing to respect?
Can you see my difference in ability, not just as a flaw,
But as part of my strength, part of my law?
Will you fight for access, for rights I deserve,
Or step to the side when the system swerves?
When age brings wisdom, but also disdain,
Will you honour my journey or dismiss it as pain?
Will you stand with the elders, with stories untold,
Or leave them behind as the world grows cold?
Don’t just wear the badge of allyship proud,
If you’re not ready to fight when the world gets loud.
If my Blackness, my truth, makes you turn away,
Then you’re not an ally, not here to stay.
So dig deep within, find the courage to stand,
Not just for the easy, but the full command.
Allyship is action, it’s sacrifice, it’s fight,
It’s standing in darkness and bringing the light.