Activating Your Allyship
I recently led a presentation for a group of travel industry professionals about activating your allyship and thought that I would turn the content into a blog post about the same topic. So if you’re curious about what it takes to be a true ally, keep reading.
The most recent racial unrest that was sparked by Minneapolis police officers murdering George Floyd in May and the awareness of the killing of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville police has lead to worldwide protests and calls to reform policing. Other industries have been called to task for roles and complacency in the injustices of Black employees in terms of representation, pay inequities, and no clear path to leadership roles. All of these events have influenced many non-Black people to desire to be allies. However, striving to be an ally has been met with challenges. There has even been a push to be antiracist given cries that simply stating that you’re not racist is not enough to fight systemic racism. Personally, I think that allyship and antiracist goes hand in hand. You really can’t be an ally without also being an antiracist. I firmly believe that allyship is verb and that anyone who choses to be an ally needs to make doing something central.
As an ally, it is important to make sure that your efforts are not performative. Performative allyship involves actions that are self-serving and consists of behaviors that are tied to gaining personal attention. For example, posting your good deed on social media or centering your unreasonably emotional response about your frustration with certain injustices. These actions are harmful and/or ineffective to the very population that the non-marginalized person is “attempting to help”. Are you unsure whether or not your actions are performative? Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Are you centering your feelings?
Are you concerned about how others view you?
Do your politics align with policies that would further marginalize the group that you claim to be an ally to?
Have you actually done something?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions above, you need to spend some time reflecting on your answers and thinking through how you can shift your behaviors. I think that it might be helpful to think about the reasons why you are driven to be an ally. You would also reflect on the actual change that you would like to advocate. Now that you know more about performative allyship, I want to share some ways to be a true ally to BIPOC individuals. The following are four ways to activate your allyship.
Acknowledge Your Biases - We all have biases. The best way to tackle biases is to acknowledge them. Biases impact how you see the world and what you think of others points of view. The problem with biases is when they are used to treat people differently. Once you acknowledge and pinpoint your biases, attempt to trace their origins and find ways to keep them in check.
Educate Yourself - It is important to educate yourself on the tenants of white supremacy and understand how you are knowingly and/or subconsciously used as a tool to forward its agenda. Read as much as you can. Watch documentaries or movies that provide more insight into social justice issues. However, do not let the act of educating yourself stop you from moving forward with the work that needs to be done.
Start with Your Inner Circle - You cannot be an effective ally if you are unable to confront the racist behaviors and actions of those closest to you. The more you learn about the social justice issues and racism, the more information that you will be armed with to confidently confront opposing views.
Use Your Privilege - We all have different types of privileges. As an ally, it is expected that you utilize your privileges to benefit marginalized groups. Using your privilege can literally involve using your voice to call out problematic behaviors. Your privilege can shield you from negative consequences that marginalized individuals face when they engage in similar behaviors. Additionally, your privileged position carries a certain level of influence that are not afforded to marginalized groups.
There’s so much more that I can share but this is just a snippet of my activating allyship presentation. Ultimately, being an ally is about action for the benefit of a marginalized group. Allyship is also all about context. You can be ally in your politics, in the workplace, in your home. No arena is too small to influence change.
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