10 Way to be an Ally
As white supremacy is baked into our systems, it affects all of us. As white women, we can use our privilege and our voice to contribute to a culture of anti-racism. Working against the system takes action, and we owe it to our sisters who are People of Color to be their Ally.
Below are my recommendations for ways to practice allyship:
1. Commit to learning independently through trusted sources rather than relying on people of color to educate you. They already deal with the trauma of racism, and it is not their job to teach you to be a good person. https://eji.org/history/
2. Call your politicians about racial justice issues. I have really enjoyed using the 5 Calls app. It is incredibly easy! It gives you the phone number and a little script to use for each issue you want to call about. You can address housing, minimum wage, reparations, affirmative action, the attack on DEI, or any number of other issues. https://campaignzero.org/ https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/letters-to-elected-officials/main
3. Spend money intentionally by supporting BIPOC-owned businesses. Some have exceled at moving one-time purchases. Go the extra mile and find a way to make recurring purchases.
4. Speak up in spaces where someone says a biased comment. This will feel uncomfortable! Practice in advance so you have some responses ready. Example: What did you mean by that? Some people may interpret that as unfairness. Why would you say that?
5. Decline invitations to all-white events, panels, boards, committees, etc. Make diversity a requirement for where you spend your time and energy.
6. Have an age-appropriate, honest conversation about race with your kids. https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/early-childhood-education
7. Use your influence at work to advocate for equitable hiring, pay, and promotions. Interview People of Color and ask your recruiters to find you more candidates when all the candidates are white. https://www.reworked.co/leadership/dei-beyond-hr-how-to-weave-inclusion-into-operations/
8. Set boundaries with your family members – another hard one! Examples: if you continue to talk like that, we will need to leave. I don’t appreciate those comments; they are hurtful.
9. Do the work on your own discomfort. You are not the victim here. Process your own feelings in safe spaces without doing harm. https://www.propublica.org/series/documenting-hate
10. Volunteer with organizations that are led by and benefit communities of color.
To begin, choose one or two actions that fit your life and aim to practice them consistently. Give yourself grace as you manage your busy life with incorporating new habits. You are imperfect and will make mistakes. What matters is that you continue to return to the work to grow and repair. Be thoughtful about how you engage and measure the impact of your actions. This is delicate work, and we, as white people, are often not educated in the subtle micro-aggressions in our own behavior and in the system at-large. Here is a great article addressing our reactions when making a misstep: https://everydayfeminism.com/2017/05/allies-say-this-instead-defensive/
Thank you for reading. I hope you will make a plan and take some action!
