How to be a better ally to YPOC
I thought it would be useful to open a discussion here on what it means to be an ally to people of color and what people can do to help more.
Who has some ideas? :)
Congratulations, you've found a clue for the General Support and POC forum hunt for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! The word in this thread is 'The'. Best of luck! 
I think a lot has to do with understanding the issues from a cultural perspective. I've never felt that connected to my race or that it was a strong part of my identity, which has fortunately allowed me to not feel the impact of race-related issues as much.
A few things I find helpful
1) Don't take comments personally. The hardest thing for me to understand initially is that Whiteness and privilege isn't the same thing as white people. The concept of power and privilege can't be pinpointed down to specific people.
So for example if I was a white person, I can acknowledge that I benefit from the current system. But that's not the same as that I am trying to cheat the system.
2) Not everything that a social justice warrior says is correct. I see a lot of hurtful rhetoric being said and it's not okay. While I do understand the anger, directing that anger at specific people (rather than the system) continues a cycle of hurt imo
3) Understand the issue. Try to see why race-related issues matters so much.
@Anomalia
Thanks for posing this question
@AdVictoriam
Thanks for sharing your thought
I think it is important for people of color and those who support people of color in various communities to be willing to have discussion and dialogue with one another that promotes understanding and information sharing.
We all have different experiences, and for myself I find that I grow best in communities that can discuss race related topics where everyone is sharing and learning together.
@AdVictoriam
One of the things about equality and I mean in al of its forms (race, geneder, religion, etc) is that by providing every man, every woman, and every child with opportunity, we all win. Talent is not limited by race, colour or creed. It is shared equally among all peoples. If we take only the ripest fruit from the one tree witout lookin across all of the trees, we are not better off, we're worse off. We need to actively work towards greater opportunity and equality among all people for the betterment of all of us.
@Dumbo
I don't understand. Do you mean that singling out race related issues is not supportive?
@AdVictoriam
No, quite the opposite. That racial equality benefits all.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/without-prejudice/201601/being-anti-racist-not-non-racist
You can be an ally to people of color by actively being ANTI-RACIST, not just non-racist.
An anti-racist does not laugh at racist jokes, a non-racist does yet goes around claiming how good of a person they are.
Think about it.
@CatPlum24 - I really like that distinction. I've been trying to explain a similar idea to folks around my office about what inclusion means, and specifically that it is more than not being outwardly exclusive. While not being racist/sexist/homophobic/otherwise intolerant yourself is a decent start, it's not the same as actually working to improve the situation, create inclusion, etc., but that's a hard concept for some people to see.
Thanks for sharing the article!
Personally, I try to help people acknowledge their own privilege (as a white girl), so they can better understand that there is still social and economic struggles that are race related even if it is easier to pretend we are all equal in society. While we are equal as individuals, society still separates us with location, education and professional options. Without continuing to educate other white people about this privilege, I feel I would be simply perpetuating it. The more we educate each other, the more we educate our children, the more chances we have to make a real difference.
People need to stand together as one. It is possible for a white person to believe that Black Lives Matter and to write to our government officials, to stand in solidarity. We need to be less passive. Plain and simple.
I do agree with a lot of people, in order to be allies and help in race related issues, we cannot turn a blind eye towards injustice. We need to have better conversations, we need to be patient, and we need to not be afraid to talk about hard issues or those things that are outside of our comfort zone.
There is one thing though. One word that kind of tips me off is the word 'privelage'. Because by using that word in terms of white people, we are automatically assuming that every white person is much better off than non-whites. And I don't know it just seems kind of unfair to me I guess? Because I grew up very poor, low income, and didn't have a lot of things...so in my mind I wasn't very privelaged in terms of economic status. I lived in a poor neighborhood and had to eat at soup kitchens. And while I understand that yes in terms of the system I am treated differently than non-white people so that can be a privelage, I don't like how the term in used in such a general way to describe how white people are privelaged in every way, social, economical, etc. I don't mean this to offend anyone, I'm just bringing in a different perspective I guess.