The times require us to have the courage to be dangerous, at the same time recognizing that there are differential dangers. Not all teachers are at equal risk; much depends on how you are positioned, on your identity(ies), on your particular situation. --Wendy Kohli, 2000 If, when considering social justice, you: * Believe equity is important, but don't know why everything has to be about diversity; * Don't see why we insist our area of study needs to be addressed by everyone while yours is left to you; * Believe that anyone who is open-minded can teach courses in social justice; * Can't understand why we sometimes seem so angry in faculty meetings ... ... then this letter is to you. We want to clearly articulate the foundations of our work to our faculty colleagues, make a case for why you need to understand what we do, and suggest ways you can support social justice and faculty, staff, and students who are members of historically marginalized groups--persons of color, women, gays, persons with disabilities, and so on. Nancy Gallavan writes that teaching about social inequality presents and conflicts for those instructors unlike the challenges and conflicts encountered when teaching most other courses in higher (2000, p. 5, italics in original). One aspect of these challenges and conflicts is student resistance to topics they do fully understand. A more awkward challenge, however, is the resistance of colleagues, resistance that often comes before a demonstration of basic social justice literacy. While universities, like all other social institutions, reflect the historical and existing unequal distribution of resources and power, there are added dangers within the university: the stay below the radar advice often given to pre-tenure faculty, the challenge to maintain collegial relations with colleagues (while doing unpopular work that is often perceived as an annoyance at best, and threatening at worst), and navigating the politics for faculty who belong to marginalized groups (along one or more axes of race, class, and gender) who often make up the core of scholars teaching about social inequities. We offer the following vignettes to capture common challenges we face as professors who explicitly teach social justice-oriented education courses (in their variety of forms--critical multicultural education, anti-oppression, cultural diversity, anti-racism). Through professional academic discussions with one another, as well as countless spontaneous conversations in campus hallways, parking lots, and restrooms, there are consistent patterns in our experiences that will help us explain the dynamics of marginalization. SO HOW AND WHAT MIGHT YOU DO? In social justice studies, the term refers to a member of the dominant group who works to end oppression in all aspects of social life by consistently seeking to support and advocate for the group who is oppressed in relation to them. For example, men who speak out on behalf of women, white people who challenge white privilege and colonial policies with indigenous people, heterosexuals who break silence and lobby on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. In general, being an ally means: * Validating and supporting people who are socially or institutionally positioned below yourself, regardless of whether you understand or agree with where they are coming from; * Engaging in continual self-reflection to uncover your socialized blind spots where you have privilege; * Advocating when the oppressed group is absent by challenging misconceptions; and * Sharing power, taking risks to build relationships with target group members, taking responsibility for your mistakes, having humility and willingness to admit to not knowing, letting go of control, and earning trust through action. …