How to think about, talk about and be about allyship
Lecia Michelle • PLA2022
About me:�
Author
Librarian�
Activist�
Founder and Leader of:
Real Talk: WOC & Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression��
����Allyship is always timely��Think about what allyship means to you��My lens as a Black woman
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“Examine what is said and not
who speaks it.”~ African proverb
Learn about
anti-racism work
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Join a racial justice group ��Benefit from Black women-led spaces ��The “comfort” of white-led racial justice groups ��
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“In a racist society, it’s not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist.”
~ Angela Davis
Support Black women in leadership positions
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Find community leaders
�Phone bank/Canvas for political candidates
�Support Black-female businesses
Work from inside your organization
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“It’s never the privileged outsider who gets to decide when they are a good ally.”
~ Mikki Kendall
�Take advantage of white
accountability partners
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Stay on track with ally work
�Use scenarios & role playing�
Unpack mistakes
& learn from interactions
Call each other in when necessary
Avoid partnering
with family/friends
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“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
~ Fannie Lou Hamer
Accept criticism
without defensiveness
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Don’t make excuses��Listen more & talk less��Never tone police
�Apologies aren’t enough��
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“Don't follow the path. Go where
there is no path and begin the trail.”
~ Ruby Bridges
Initiating difficult conversations about racism�
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Who will you talk to?
Acknowledge the topic is hard
Choose appropriate resources
Set realistic goals
�Use your own experiences
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“Racism should never have happened and so you don't get a cookie for reducing it.”
~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Recognize you benefit
from white privilege�
Photo by Adam Fagen/CC BY-NC-SA-2.0
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White privilege definition:
the unearned, mostly unacknowledged social advantage white people have over other racial groups simply because they are white. (dictionary.com)
�Using white privilege for good
The fallacy of colorblindness
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“White feelings should never be held in higher regard than Black lives.”
The pitfalls of perfectionism and performative allyship�
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Perfectionism:
Mistakes will happen
Practice makes perfect
The silent lurker
�The dreaded call-out
�Embracing discomfort
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Performative allyship:
Playing to an audience
Centering & ulterior motives
�Comparing yourself to others
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�Starting your ally journey:��Join a racial justice group��Find an accountability partner��Start building your resources library��Listen and learn about anti-racism work��Role play scenarios��Turn listening into action����
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Photo by Phil Cohen/CC BY SA-2.0
Thank you.
Lecia Michelle • PLA2022