Looking out for Each Other: a Call to Coalition Print Editor Caitlin Barr discusses the need for coalition when it comes to discrimination in our community, and offers practical tips for coalition building. In her acclaimed 2021 book, What White People Can Do Next, Emma Dabiri states her belief that the term ‘allyship’ actually exacerbates division, as it assumes ‘a fundamental and immutable separateness between ‘different’ ‘races’, offering charity at the expense of solidarity’. Instead, she focuses on coalition. The idea of coalition is to identify shared goals and work together to achieve them. Building coalition benefits us all - a safer and more accessible town and campus improves our university experience, and the opportunity to learn about the experiences of others, no matter their race, gender identity or sexuality. We should not view looking out for the people around us as an act of charity, but as an act of building community. With all of this in mind, how can we advocate for members of our community when their safety and rights are at risk? Sadly, there have been 8
many instances of violence and intimidation against students and staff this year, both in town and on campus, as well as oppression on a national scale that is being discussed more than ever after last summer’s reckoning with racism and the #MeToo movement.