My definition of an ally (to people living in poverty)

Essential definition:

An ally is a person who has not experienced long-term poverty, but actively seeks to partner with those who are experiencing or have experienced long-term poverty in order to end it. An ally develops personal, responsible, and mutually beneficial relationships with people who have experienced long-term poverty. These relationships are not necessarily friendships, but are at least respectful working relationships bound together by a common goal of ending poverty.

Essential to MY definition:

An ally supports the self-determination and self-efficacy of groups and individuals who have experienced long-term poverty, and as much as possible tries not to exert power over their decision making.

Secondary to the definition (definition of a GOOD ally):

An ally takes active responsibility for his or her own learning about classism and other forms of oppression in society. An ally tries to learn as much as possible directly from communities that have experienced poverty (allowing them to speak in their own words rather than through middle class “expert” conduits), but does not passively wait to be “educated.”

An ally believes that poverty is caused, at least in part, by systemic inequalities within our social/economic/political system, and is not solely the result of individual behaviors. An ally may work on assisting individuals, but understands that truly ending poverty will require adjustments to the system in which we are all a part.

An ally understands and takes responsibility for his/her own participation in an unjust social system which grants him/her privileges solely by virtue of his/her economic status. An ally does not deny privilege, neither believing that privilege does not exist, nor that he or she has erased their personal privilege by lifestyle choices. An ally may decide to make lifestyle choices to contribute less to oppression, but privilege is always there by virtue of personal histories and being a member of society. An ally accepts this, and is not paralyzed by guilt over inescapable privilege, but seeks to use privilege responsibly to expand access to all.