Allyship as a Workplace Norm

Who are your role models? When are you inspired to do better? What are you learning about yourself? As we transition from Mental Health Awareness month in May to Pride month in June, I’ve been thinking about these questions. Living in a supportive community provides hope and inspiration when our life circumstances are difficult.?

I just finished reading the biography of W.E.B. Du Bois, which was a behemoth work by David Levering Lewis. Du Bois was one of the greatest writers and activists of the 20th century. He was a thought leader about race when no others existed. I think about Du Bois when I think of allyship because he was constantly learning and changing. He traveled the world to better understand race relations and how community changes our personal awareness. I keep this quote of his close to my heart:

"Strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities."

Allyship is a possibility in the workplace. While much has changed in the last few years, our ability to act is still present. MIT professor Edgar Schein defines organizational culture as artifacts, espoused values, and underlying assumptions. Too often we work at the artifacts (pride flags and symbols) and espoused values (DEI statements) without addressing the underlying assumptions of allyship. How do you know when allyship is happening in your workplace??

In this month’s newsletter, I am defining allyship for you. Then I will share some statistics with you about the impact of allyship. And finally, I will invite you to join me in an Allyship Learning Circle on June 25, 2024. You ready??

It’s Pride month in the United States, and more people are talking about allyship these days. While the word “allyship” is used in many ways, people are still confused about its meaning. How is allyship different from kindness? Does allyship only apply to the queer community? Why is allyship important right now?

These are all great questions, and they deserve answers. I’ve been officially working in the allyship space for 10 years, but I’ve been unofficially involved in allyship since my teens. I started with volunteering at a local AIDS nonprofit when I was in high school. I kept seeing these images of AIDS patients being treated terribly, and I wanted to do something. So I volunteered. That’s one form of allyship.?

What is allyship?

I like to use the definition provided by Karen Catlin from her book, Better Allies.

“Everyday acts of allyship means using your position of privilege or authority to amplify, endorse, sponsor, and advocate for people who are members of underrepresented groups.”

Focus on the verbs in this definition – amplify, endorse, sponsor, and advocate. That’s a hearty list of actions already.

Who can practice allyship?

Anyone can be an ally. However, it’s most important to practice allyship in relationship with others. You can be a champion by wearing supportive gear and attending events. However, allyship goes deeper than these actions because allyship requires sacrifice.

The Racial Equity Tools glossary offers this definition of allyship:

“An action, not an identity. Members of the advantaged group recognize their privilege and work in solidarity with oppressed groups to dismantle the systems of oppression(s) from which they derive power, privilege, and acceptance. Requires understanding that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways. It means taking intentional, overt, and consistent responsibility for the changes we know are needed in our society, and often ignore or leave for others to deal with; it does so in a way that facilitates the empowerment of persons targeted by oppression. This framework can be used to imply that one does not feel directly implicated by the oppression.”

Allyship is about taking action and not shying away from difficult conversations and situations. Allies have skin in the game. Read the full blog post.

LGBTQ+ inclusion is more than knowing the acronym or wearing a Pride shirt. Inclusion is “authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power” (source: OpenSource Leadership Strategies). Building inclusion in the workplace can improve decision-making and innovation, increase employee satisfaction and retention, and strengthen your brand with customers (source: Gibran Registe-Charles).?

I’m offering FREE allyship building tools for you. You can use these as an individual or better yet, as a team.?

Cultural Humility Action Plan (estimated time: 15 minutes)

This quick reflection allows individuals and groups to break down their actions into five categories: Stop Doing, Do Less Of, Keep Doing, Do More Of, and Start Doing.?

Allyship Helpful Hints (estimated time: 30 minutes)

This handout offers a list of actions to START doing and STOP doing. As a team, review each bulleted action and make a list of how you can support this action. Check in as a team monthly to review how you can deepen your allyship. FYI - Karen Catlin has an incredible weekly newsletter around allyship. You can access previous versions here.?

Scenario Discussions (estimated time: 45-60 minutes)

This document provides youth-based and adult-based scenarios for individuals and teams to discuss on how they would respond and how they can do better in the future. Split into small groups and discuss 1 scenario at a time. Then discuss as a large group and plan for the future.?

Cycle of Socialization (estimated time: 90 minutes)

When is the first time you can remember hearing about the LBGTQ+ community in the workplace? This is one of the first questions we discuss in this session. When I ask this question, I always get answers that vary across generations. It is important to understand how we were socialized toward the LGBTQ+ community from our childhood until now.

Author Bobbie Harro offers a Cycle of Socialization model that helps each of us walk through the socialization process. She says, “We are born into a world with the mechanics of oppression already in place. We are socialized by people in our early years of life and taught to play our roles and follow rules. In the early years of life, we are consciously and unconsciously bombarded with messages about who should have power and who should not by all the institutions we encounter. We are heavily influenced by during the early years of life to see the world in a certain way.”

Looking at our socialization process helps us, especially those who do not identify as queer. Queer people are having a living experience while those who don’t identify as queer are having a learning experience. This means that we non-queer people will never fully know what it’s like to be queer in this world, no matter how many people we know or books we read. Understanding this guides us to an approach of cultural humility.

Here are questions to use. In group settings, I ask people to individually journal in silence first and then pair up to discuss their answers.?

• Explore the year in which you were born. What was happening economically, socially, developmentally, environmentally, etc., in the year of your birth??
• Who were the first people in your life, specifically ages birth to year 5? How did these people shape your beliefs and practices?
• Which institutions influenced your worldview, specifically ages 6-12? Some examples include medicine, law enforcement, education, arts, business, etc.?
• How were concepts and acceptance reinforced for you, specifically ages 13-18? Some examples include rewards, punishments, persecution, and privilege.?
• What are the results of your socialization? Specifically, examine how you viewed the world and people between the ages of 19-24.?

You can access all of these resources on the Loftis Partners resources page. I’m also offering a new Allyship Learning Circle on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at 4:00pm. In this 60-minute virtual session, you will learn what allyship means, why it's important, and best practices to be a good ally. Sign up here.?

This book begins with a story about a transformational endowment gift for a North Carolina-based nonprofit. I've woven in only the most essential information about nonprofits and the most important pay terms and concepts (definitions are in the glossary at the back of the book). Then we move into the history behind the current need for pay equity, and how gender and race pay gaps and a lack of inclusive practices for caregivers reduce opportunities for pay increases and growth in organizations.

Chapters 3, 4, and 5 share the story of Issa, an Operations Director at a small nonprofit in North Carolina. You'll learn how Issa started her organization’s pay equity journey by getting employee feedback, researching the cost of living for employees, understanding employee needs, reviewing each job for quality, and discussing the needs with the organization leadership team. Finally, Issa completes a pay equity assessment and prepares for a series of conversations with the organization leadership team, including the creation of a new pay philosophy. I’ve created a set of reflection questions for each chapter that you can find in the Small Group Guide at the back of the book. Buy my book, The Pay Equity Guide for Nonprofit Organizations

I hope that you enjoyed The Fully Human | Resources Newsletter! Next month’s topic: Is 2024 turning out like we planned? I share a lot, so let's connect:

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