I was raised in a household where "solidarity" wasn't part of the vocabulary. If a teacher at school was giving me a hard time, my parents never stood up for me. If I was in pain and couldn't function the way my parents expected me to, I was blamed and shamed instead of supported.

This mindset came with me when I went out into the world, making it hard to bond with my peers. That didn't feel good.

Then one day a cranky customer complained to my boss about me. Instead of blaming or shaming me, my boss backed me up. I still think about that day. What if the customer had complained at higher levels, or left a one-star review online? When my boss stood up for me, she didn't care about that. The priority was solidarity in our workplace.

That experience changed the way I feel about solidarity. It would be cool to have some other perspectives on the topic as I think about where to go next with it.

Share questions:

• What does solidarity mean to you?
• Have you ever expressed solidarity towards another person? Felt solidarity expressed towards you?
• Was solidarity a part of your life while you were being raised? Please describe.
• Have you ever showed solidarity--or not showed it--as a part of masking?
• Do you feel solidarity within an autistic community or communities?
  
• Does the idea of solidarity play well with your traits? Black and white thinking, demand avoidance, sense of justice, other?
• Are there any resources, tools, or strategies that have helped you think about or express solidarity?
• Anything else to add?