Have you been seeing safety pins all over the place recently? They’ve popped up on social media in the place of people’s profile pictures and cover photos, they’ve graced the front page of news stories as header images, and you may have even seen them adorning your friends, relatives, fellow students and coworkers, and even the random strangers you run into as you go about your day. No, you’re not going crazy.
By now you’ve probably heard something of this #SafetyPin movement, which started in the UK after Brexit as a way for people to identify themselves as empathetic allies to immigrant who were experiencing abuse. After the presidential election, safety pins started sweeping the United States as Americans searched for a way to express their support for marginalized populations in the U.S., and stand up against some of the hatred and violence against minority groups that emerged surrounding the election.
Since then, safety pins and their wearers have been praised, mocked, acknowledged, ignored, highlighted for being mindful, and written off as being lazy; but that doesn’t deny the fact that safety pins have started a conversation in this country. As a wearer of the safety pin myself, I recognize all of the different opinions on the movement for what they are: opinions; and as such I feel the need to contribute my own.
The big controversy surrounding the safety pin movement is whether or not it allows for well-meaning allies of the marginalized populations in our country to get by with sticking a pin on in the morning and calling it a day in the field of activism. In other words, is the safety pin movement enabling people to do the bare minimum in terms of standing up for human rights, but feel like they’re doing enough?
I want to address this concern by first saying that if you are among those who have chosen to wear safety pins in solidarity with the marginalized communities of our nation, recognize that you do not wear that safety pin for yourself, you wear it for those who are afraid, marginalized, and attacked. Wearing a safety pin makes you feel good, especially when you see other people wearing one and feel a pleasant sense of unity, but I want to remind you that you do not wear a safety pin to feel good about yourself, you wear a safety pin to identify yourself as an ally and friend to those who are struggling to feel good about themselves.
It’s easy to put on a safety pin and tell yourself that you’re standing up for the marginalized communities in this country, but by wearing a safety pin you have to remember that you are taking a stand against hatred, prejudice, and violence against people of all races, religions, citizenship statuses, genders, sexual orientations, etc. In doing so, you are not only stating that you oppose the unfair treatment of these marginalized groups, you are also stating that you will advocate for their rights, that you will stand up and speak for them when they cannot.
Wearing a safety pin to show your support for marginalized people is great, it’s the kind of compassion and unity we need in this country right now, amidst all the bitter divisiveness this election has brought, but wearing a safety pin shouldn’t—and can’t—be the only thing you do to take a stand against intolerance. As one Facebook user is quoted saying in a CBS article “Wearing the pin means nothing if I don’t do everything in my power to make sure the people I’m wearing it for are not harmed or disenfranchised.” That being said, here are a few other ways you can show your support:
- Be vocal about your support, if that’s something you’re comfortable with. Do more than just wear a symbol of your openness and acceptance, tell people that you’re there if they need someone to talk to. Go the extra mile to ensure that you’re a comforting person for marginalized people to be around.
- Make a donation to a charity that supports he rights of minority groups in our country. Some popular causes are the National Immigration Law Center, Planned Parenthood, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
- Better yet, volunteer with an organization in your area. Nothing shows your genuine care more than donating your time to assist those in need. Consider becoming a mentor through a youth group at your school, church, or local community center. Don’t have an organization in your community that you think properly supports marginalized groups? Maybe it’s time for some impassioned person to start one. Maybe that’s you.
- Get involved in politics, both local and national. Start having conversations with people in order to understand everyone’s point of view, and work to help everyone recognize the human rights that your safety pin symbolizes the fight for.
However you get involved, and I hope you will, remember that no voice is ever too small. You may feel like you can’t do anything more than wear a safety pin to help stand up for the rights of your fellow humans and make them feel safe, but I can guarantee that your actions and your intentions have an impact, even if it’s just on that one person who felt more comfortable when they saw you wearing your safety pin at the grocery store.
