Active Allyship

"Active allyship is not an easily achievable thing; it is imperfect and uncomfortable, a learning process that demands constant person growth. While this may seem daunting, don't let fear or hopelessness defeat you; you voice and your actions are powerful. Stay engaged, learn along the way, and listen to each other."
​- SJS.WOC
Why do we need active allies?
"A individual from an underinvested community cannot easily cast away the weight of their identity (or identities) shaped through oppression on a whim. They carry that weight every single day, for better or for worse. Active allies understand that this is a weight that they, too, must be willing to carry and never put down."
- The Guide to Allyship
How can I be an active ally?
  1. Listen and care. Are you able to listen and empathize even if someone's experiences differ from your own? Acknowledge that even though you feel pain, the conversation is not always about you.
  2. Be your own teacher. Your education is up to you and no one else.
  3. Speak up, even when you feel scared or uncomfortable. Recognize your voice is powerful alongside oppressed ones. Amplify voices of the oppressed before you own.
  4. Adapt. Own your mistakes and de-center yourself. Active allyship can never be perfect, constantly struggle, be uncomfortable, support, listen, unlearn, and learn. ​
The Dos
  • Do be open to listening
  • Do be aware of your implicit biases
  • Do your research to learn more about the history of the struggle in which you are participating
  • Do the inner work to figure out a way to acknowledge how you participate in oppressive systems
  • Do the outer work and figure out how to change the oppressive systems
  • Do use your privilege to amplify (digitally and in-person) historically suppressed voices
  • Do learn how to listen and accept criticism with grace, even if it’s uncomfortable
  • Do the work every day to learn how to be a better ally
  • Do engage in conversations and break down the anti-racism, xenophobia, sexism, heterosexism, and cissexism within your communities
The Don'ts
  • Do not expect to be taught or shown. Take it upon yourself to use the tools around you to learn and answer your questions
  • Do not participate for the gold medal in the “Oppression Olympics” (you don’t need to compare how your struggle is “just as bad as” a marginalized person’s)
  • Do not behave as though you know best
  • Do not take credit for the labor of those who are marginalized and did the work before you stepped into the picture
  • Do not assume that every member of an underinvested community feels oppressed
Learn More
Articles
The Guide to Allyship​: HERE
​How to be an Ally if you are a Person with Privilege​: HERE

Books
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin Di’Angelo
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Rage: The Unspoken Rage of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer Eberndhardt
Racism Without Racists by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva