Raising a Glass to the Rally—Happy (belated) New Year!

There is magic in moments that succinctly summarize the broader context in which they occur. These magical moments, in their rare occurrences, draw our heart’s attention to the beautiful, right-in-front-of-us details that may have been missed otherwise. One such moment found my family earlier this month. Born out of the

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Growing Slow

Would you rather be timed while swimming laps back and forth in a pool for an hour or float around in the sunshine with a fruity drink with a fancy paper umbrella? This is a no-brainer for me. I am team fruity drinks and fancy umbrellas all day, every day.

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Does Allyship Matter in Non-Diverse Communities?

Did you know that you can practice allyship skills even if you don’t live in a “diverse community”? Ask me how I know! It’s a myth that one has to live in a diverse community in order to learn about, value, or practice allyship. I am real-life proof . I

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Saying No

Have you ever been in an “Is this even real life” situation where you look around in exasperation and ask yourself with genuine concern, (and, you’ll have to add your own swears because I’m trying to keep it family friendly around here) “How did we get here?” I don’t know

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Allies Build Boundaries, Not Walls

It’s September 2022 and after what felt like the longest, most unwanted break from writing about allyship, I am coming in hot, live from my new office on the second floor of our new home in Ohio! You read that right. We haven’t been super public about it, but this

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Making New Friends

Would you believe me if I told you that on Memorial Day weekend this year, Kelvin and I packed the kids up in the cars and moved across the country? It was the five day road trip finale of a long season of figuring out where God wants us to

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How to Create a Community of Allies

It never fails. I go to the theatre to watch an action-packed superhero movie with my husband and leave wiping tears out of my eyes. How does Marvel do that to me, every single time? It’s because they know how to tell a story that will connect with their audience’s

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Connect with Yourself After 2020

I sat at my desk, the warmth from the tears involuntarily rolling down my face almost comforting as I got more honest with myself than I had been in a long time, and answered her question directly. The moment hurt, but the pain passed almost as soon as the words

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Unlocking Connection: Magic Words

My first baby had barely taken a breath before my worst nightmare was unfolding. Literally, she wasn’t breathing, and that was why I was missing out on the immediate skin-to-skin bonding touted by many as the golden standard motherhood rite of passage for attachment. Instead, I watched the NICU team

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Oh, the Places We’ll Go!

I can still see the giant smiles on my students’ faces as I snapped their pictures on the playground equipment with a couple of giant, bright green and blue, polka dotted balloons. They were more than happy to spend their normal class time making silly faces and pretending to fly

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Hi, I'm Jamie!

I am so glad you're here!

If you are looking for honesty, insight, and encouragement as you learn how to be an ally, you are in the right place!  I am passionate about using stories to build empathy and supporting people as they learn to become better allies.

Got kids in your life?

Reading, Writing, & Raising Allies is written with you in mind! This monthly newsletter offers encouragement and inspiration about how to cultivate a family culture of allyship.