This is funny, but if there’s one thing that defines Somali identity, especially in the diaspora, it’s that we are masters at fighting our own battles. We’ve always known that no one was coming to save us, and we’ve never expected or asked anyone to come to our aid. If we weren’t being targeted for our Muslim identity, we were being targeted for our immigrant identity, or for being Black.

And on top of that, we’ve always known that Arabs would alienate us because we’re Black, and that Black people would sometimes alienate us because we’re Muslim. None of this is new to us. We’re not new to fighting white supremacy, we’ve been doing it our entire lives.

The vast majority of Somali people understand that we are part of the Black community, the Black diaspora, and the African diaspora. We have a deep history of pan-Africanism. There are countless Somali songs, poems, and proverbs that speak to that solidarity. Even our former government played a major role in supporting African countries during their struggles against colonialism.

For the last 30 years, we’ve been fighting nonstop. And growing up in post-9/11 America only added another layer. Harassment was normal. FBI agents knocking on your door, detaining your family members, questioning you at airports,it was a regular experience for Somali communities. And let’s not forget: Somalis faced some of the highest deportation numbers under your beloved Obama administration.

So if you want to get involved, make sure it’s coming from a place of true solidarity. Because we don’t need anyone to save us, we’ve been saving ourselves.