The main takeaway from the  “Want a more just world? Be an unlikely ally” Ted Talk is to add your voice and actions to situations you may not think involve you, because by incorporating your opinions and ideas into a situation, you inspire others to do the same. The objective is to become an unlikely ally and stick up for those facing injustice. The main takeaway from the “The Air We Breathe: Implicit Bias And Police Shootings” podcast is that if bias is a factor in police shootings with African-American victims, then implicit bias, rather than overt racism, is at play. It also says that places with higher rates of implicit bias in the community are more likely to experience racially-fueled police shootings.

These main ideas fit together because the information shared in the podcast sheds light on how implicit bias leaks into the hands of people with power and ways to determine when targeted attacks towards people of a specific race are more likely, and thus ways to protect these minorities in these times. The Ted Talk discusses a white dance teacher in the 1960s segregated south who took it upon herself to teach little black girls ballet because she knew they were shunned from dance schools for their race. This act of going against the status quo took a lot of courage, but she saw injustice and took the opportunity to help little girls to not feel discouraged by the unfairness of their society. This ties into the information presented in the podcast because of the ways it mentions how we can protect minorities in danger.

The Ted Talk made it clear to me that standing up for people who are different than you is crucial to demanding change. It is not uncommon for people to shy away from social justice issues and sticking up for others in times of need because we may feel like our views are unwanted and would not be accepted by the community facing discrimination. However, putting ourselves out there to purposefully defend those who are discriminated against and facing injustice is the way to make others, like us, believe in the cause as well. If the LGBTQ+ community didn’t have cisgendered, heterosexual allies to back them up, or racial minorities didn’t have supportive white allies to march alongside them, or disabled people didn’t have able-bodied people to support them, then the majority would never change their beliefs because people are more likely to listen to those who they can relate to.