There is still much pain, confusion, fear, and anger around racial and transgender identity; it is no wonder that families struggle with what to tell their children. We must acknowledge that we have all been shaped by a system built on inequality and racism—one that consistently bombards us with stereotypical images of certain cultures and excludes voices from different backgrounds. Racism isn’t just Black people’s problem; it’s everyone’s problem because it erodes the fabric of society. At its core, racism is a powerful system that creates false hierarchies of human value; its warped logic extends beyond race, from the way we regard people of different ethnicities or skin colors to the way we treat people of different sexes, gender identities, and body types. When community building, the power to share our own stories and hear the stories of others is foundational and uplifts us all. By reflecting and understanding our own lives and those of others, we connect our shared experiences and learn from our differences.

Queers have had a special place in the fashion and beauty industry and are the glowing future of the fashion industry. So, to encourage them we introduce you to Ally Pride Fashion is an open platform for the LGBT community to leave their mark on the Fashion industry by making themselves more visible. 🌈

Ally Social is designed to provide content and resources by bringing to you stories that strengthen the ability to consider different perspectives and builds empathy towards others. A community cannot exist unless the people coming together care about and feel connected to each other. This nuance reminds us that we can have things in common and be in the same space, but still feel isolated from and even afraid of each other. By considering each other’s lives and experiences, and perspectives, we allow a community to be not only about what we have in common but what makes us different. 

Conversations about one’s race and gender may be uncomfortable, yet it is at the edge of discomfort where we can learn the most. Since we cannot remove the risk from such conversations, we encourage a shift in mindset. By moving from safe spaces to our forum Ally Discourse, we can rise to the challenge of having honest conversations that lead to a more equitable society.

As cities erupt in protests over police brutality, black people are in desperate need of support — especially from their employers. It is highly possible the workspace is already a source of stress, and Black people or the trans-gender don’t feel comfortable speaking up about what they are going through. It’s important to acknowledge any harm that your Black and brown coworkers have endured. This is especially important in environments where black employees exist in predominantly white spaces and daily instances of microaggressions and tokenism directed towards transgender abound. Ally Bias Assessment commits to lifelong learning about one’s biases and trying to empathize rather than sympathize or ridicule the wronged, without relying on Black and brown people or the trans-gender to educate about what happened in order to justify their hurt and outrage or counter “colorblind” rhetoric. For instance, when learning about police brutality against unarmed Black people, the correct reaction is demonstrating compassion and empathy, instead of searching for evidence about what the victim did to deserve abuse or judging those who engaged in looting instead of discussing the unjust act that drove people to the streets.

Languages used are : Python , CSS , HTML , JavaScript , SCSS .

The main challenges faced were : Differentiating between different types of users, corporate and individual, in the backend , adding animation to the Ally Socials page, creating a responsive site, adding the Tinder like swipe functionality to the individual portfolio cards, viewing the information of the person shown on the card by clicking on the more info button from corporate login. 

Team Ally's biggest achievement is bringing a novel and innovative idea for the global platform to life in a creative manner. Apart from theoretical learning , it is important to understand the problems faced by minority communities in different parts of the world and trying to help them out with our solutions that we believe will have an impact on millions of lives globally.

We deployed the IBM chatbot, “Ally Unity” by utilizing the offer provided by IBM and the space agency. Ally Unity is a chatbot that greets the user visiting website Ally, and offers a tour around it.

Ally Unity IBM Chatbot :

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yfRKRBayJSN8AMFzaHDTqIZuh2iSDnaB?usp=sharing

The Ally Bias Assessment provides feedback, in the form of an article or video link from the Space agency resources, for the biased answers as a way to transform old ways of thinking, and unconscious bias. 

Ally Social also creatively displays space agency articles and podcasts, and the NASA workforce Demography, shedding a light on the current status of the lives of black and transgender community.

Ally Project Demo :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19EzWNt1iRVnGx0NPnPw1xckz9npflYb2/view

Ally Website Tour:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18ea9I7CO83-WIavwPQI18VRfRVX56xNJ/view

Ally Unity IBM Chatbot:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yfRKRBayJSN8AMFzaHDTqIZuh2iSDnaB?usp=sharing

Ally Hackerstribe GitHub Submission:

https://github.com/hackerstribefoundation/nasaspaceapps2020/tree/main/Delhi/Team%20Ally

Links to References:

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/hq/eodm/documents_resources/resources_for_learning_and_talking_about_racism_and_inequality/

https://www.catalyst.org/media-release/racism-and-the-george-floyd-protests/

https://inclusionandinnovation.jsc.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/06/EasingRacialTensions_Infographic-CTI.pdf

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/microaggressions-matter/406090/

https://hbr.org/2020/03/what-your-coworkers-need-right-now-is-compassion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvdHqS3ryw0

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-to-be-an-antiracist/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/opinion/police-killings-black-mental-health.html

https://www.vox.com/2020/6/2/21278123/being-an-ally-racism-george-floyd-protests-white-people

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/05/9841376/black-trauma-george-floyd-dear-white-people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8jUA7JBkF4&feature=youtu.be

https://hbr.org/2020/06/how-organizations-can-support-the-mental-health-of-black-employees?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=insider_activesubs&deliveryName=DM84811

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/odeo/nasaunity

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/odeo/workforce-data

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/microaggressions-matter/406090/

https://www.catalyst.org/media-release/racism-and-the-george-floyd-protests/

https://hbr.org/2020/06/u-s-businesses-must-take-meaningful-action-against-racism

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/opinion/police-killings-black-mental-health.html

https://hbr.org/2020/03/what-your-coworkers-need-right-now-is-compassion

https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888228/black-lives-matter-founders/

https://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/life/celebrities-gone-above-beyond-support-blm/

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundations-race

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination

https://www.primeins.com/insurance-news/9-facts-about-racism-and-discrimination

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/queer-fashion-challenges-rigid-stereotypes/316132

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/lgbt-employees-discrimination-in-the-workplace-talkpoint

https://engage.youth.gov/resources/being-ally-lgbt-people

https://thefashiontag.com/top-4-lgbtq-fashion-clothing-trends-for-2020/

https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/the-23-most-powerful-lgbtq-people-in-tech/articleshow/68035631.cms

https://www.everythingzoomer.com/style/2019/06/20/gay-fashion-designers/

https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2017/07/lgbtq-movement-in-india-91-facts/

https://www.factretriever.com/lgbt-facts

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-lgbt-life-america

https://colorlib.com/preview/#meranda

https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.5/examples/jumbotron/

https://getbootstrap.com/docs/4.5/examples/blog/

https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/cards/stacked#