"I have a love-hate relationship with that word, ally. I find too often it's a self-appellation, and one that is often unearned. We should apply the same rule to it as we do to nicknames. You can't give yourself a nickname; other people give it to you. To give it to yourself comes off as pretentious. It's the same with self-proclaimed "allies." I know you mean well, but what about your life demonstrates that you walk in solidarity with others who experience life differently from you because of their skin color, legal status, or sexual orientation? Please don't call yourself my ally if your uncle's racist jokes go unchecked in your presence. Please don't call yourself my ally if you say something insensitive, I call you on it, and all you can do is brush it off and say, "Girl, but you know I love my Black people!" Don't do it."
Somewhere else, I saw someone re-thinking ally as a verb instead of a noun.
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