International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) Part 4 – Igniting the active ally in you

“Life is short and we have an obligation to help other people,” – Craig Foster AM

Did you know that anyone can be an active ally?

It all starts from you aspiring to advance the culture of inclusion both in their community and in the workplace, then to begin actively promoting through intentional, positive, and conscious efforts that benefit people of all race and ethnicities.

The potential and ability to be an ally is there; men can be allies to women, white women can be actionable allies to people of colour, cis people can be allies to members of the LGBTQI+ community, able-bodied people can be allies to those with differing abilities, those with socio-economic privilege can be allies to those who are not, etc.?

So what is allyship?

• It’s a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalised individuals and/or groups of people.
• It should be ?not self-defined—work and efforts need to be recognized by those you are seeking to be an ally with.
• Allyship is an opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves, whilst building confidence in others.

Watch this video by Franchesca Ramsey - 5 Tips For Being An Ally

Francshesca suggests five actions we can all take:

1. Understanding your privilege????

We’ve covered at length on Privilege in my previous article on ‘Exploring lived experiences’.

Historically, the colonialism has placed dominant groups at the centre of the universe, thus creating chasms in society through dominance and privilege. This itself is the most fundamental piece to address; people from dominant groups MUST first acknowledge the privileges that they are born into because of dominance in society and government which hold them in power and systemically exclude underrepresented groups.

The issue with privilege is that many people who belong to dominant and privileged groups are indifferent to this and unless they have walked a mile to experience the bias and discrimination faced by others, they would have little clue of the disparities caused by these privileges. In many countries, there is unequal power across the political, economic, cultural, and social divides AND therefore people with privilege need to stand up to challenge this regressive system.

2. Listen and do your homework ???

There are so many people on social media sharing stories around the world – take the opportunity to read them so you can get caught up on issues on communities that you care about. If you don’t know where to start, revisit my earlier article on ‘Exploring lived experiences’; kickstart your journey by 1st understanding what’s privilege, dominance, prejudice, stereotype, discrimination, systemic racism, intersectionality and microaggression.

An essential part of being an active ally at work is taking the time to get educated about the people that a person wants to be an ally to, rather than relying on a member of that group to educate them. Self-education will enhance a person’s life experience by allowing them to see a different perspective. It will create more empathy and cultural awareness about people who are different from them.

3. Speak up but not speak over???????

An ally’s job is to support.

Therefore, use your privilege and voice to educate others, it is critical for us to start conversations to tackle unconscious racial biases and stereotypes internalised in your society.

Also, be mindful to not speak over or take credit over things that an underrepresented group that you support is already doing. Give them the opportunity to take the centre stage and demonstrate their value.

4. We all make mistakes, just own up and apologise when you do

It is human to make mistakes and it is ok if we own up, apologise and learn from these mistakes. However, what ISN’T OK is to continue behaving in ways that is hurtful and detrimental to others, especially those who are from less dominant groups or less privileged as you.

If you come with best intentions, try to see it another way; this isn’t about your intent but your impact – therefore being mindful of the impact of your behaviour is critical to be inclusive of people from underrepresented groups.

And when you get called out – just apologise, own up, listen, and commit to changing your behaviour

5. Ally is a verb??????????

Saying you’re an ally is not enough, there’s work to be done. If you are unsure of how to start, consider the options below:

• Create awareness on intersectionality

It’d be wrong to assume that once there’s racial equality, we can all rest on our laurels. It’s a lot more complex than this; as I mentioned previously, intersectionality highlights that there are pockets of marginalised groups (e.g. gender, gender identity, LGBTQ, disability, etc.) who are quietly subjected to deeper and often more insidious forms of oppression due to social and political dynamics in regions/ countries.

Therefore, it is important to create the awareness on the reality of social progress for underrepresented groups in society with less power (and/or privilege) which may include people with disabilities, and the LGBTIQ+ community.

Stand up for others if you hear comments that ridicule, demean or humiliate people from these groups; tell them to stop with the chauvinist, ableist, homophobic, and transphobic insults.

“We can all do our part to make this world a more inclusive space for all. Let's continue to learn about our differences, embrace them, and create safer spaces for all to work and live in.”

Andee Chua ?????

• Reshape the narrative for underrepresented groups

We need to be aware of various biases that people of minority (or less dominant) groups constantly encounter, whether in the media, on the street or at the school. Then, assure your colleagues from these backgrounds that your workplace is a safe space for them to express themselves as they are, by affirming their choices, by reassuring them that it’s OK to be different, and by encouraging a culture of acceptance.

Role model to your team about things like equal rights, everyone has a right to be happy, it is ok for everyone to bring their whole selves to work.

• Deliberately role model allyship for your team

In a previous job, I saw someone make fun of another colleague’s accent; this person had recently migrated to Australia and English wasn’t the person’s first language. I encouraged them to take time to know more about this person, leverage on the strengths and diversity of thought we can potentially tap into. Sure, it was a tricky conversation, but more importantly, this was an opportunity to role model the way forward.

It’s never a right time to demonstrate to others on how we can be an ally to others, It’s ok to show that things are never what they appear, it takes curiosity, it takes humility, and that it also requires respect. It takes leadership to show that allyship is simple, yet powerful, important and meaningful in building diverse and inclusive teams. A leader of privilege demonstrating positive attitude, humility and curiosity transmit an enduring message of commitment and allyship to people in any organisation.

• Empower people from underrepresented groups to speak out (and listen to them)

We see more and more young people around the world stepping up against racism. It is critical that we continue to empower and educate young advocates about race and ethnicity; they represent boundless possibilities and enormous talent to build a better future for the world.

What you can do – provide support, create an enabling environment at work, support causes that they are passionate about and at the heart of it all – give them the airtime and lean in to hear their perspectives.

Here’s a tip - try to seek out people who are out of your immediate circle or racial identity, and lean in to understand their lived experiences and ideas.

#IDERD2023 #FightRacism?#ActiveAllyship