Resources
The following resources are meant to highlight the necessity of allyship and what effective allyship looks like. Our work to combating sexism and racism is continually evolving, however, each individual’s commitment to work against these oppressive institutions is the first step.
Resources on Allyship:
“Those of us who have been granted privileges based purely on who we are born (as white, as male, as straight, and so forth) often feel that...we want to use them to improve the experience of those who don’t have our access to power and resources. One of the most effective ways to use our privilege is to become the ally”. Written by Dr. Frances Kendall in 2003, Kendall writes a short piece on what allyship looks like as a person with privilege. Furthermore, Dr. Kendall speaks to the power of coalition and allyship as a means to progress social justice.
“If we are to really do the work to fight against racism and oppression using our allyship, we must realize that our learning — both in white society and in our own racist hearts — will be a lifelong endeavor..” In a personal piece on Medium, a contributor for WOC & Allies reflects on her experience as a white woman and her position as an ally. What does allyship look like? Why is this important? And most of all, how do we ensure that our allyship elevates marginalized people rather than serve for performance? Our fight is ever ending and ever-changing.
Want to take action? In this Medium piece, Corinne Shutack provides a list of 103 things people can do to take direct action towards Racial Justice. A lot of the times allyship feels abstract and not grounded, through reading pieces like these one can gauge what they can do to have a tangible impact on those around them.
“...Each generation of African Americans has changed America for the better and great faith that the next generation will take the next steps in changing America even more (even if it feels way too slow). This perspective has renewed my resolve to do all that I can to make whatever change I can.” In this op-ed, psychology professor Robert M. Sellers at the University of Michigan writes on his perspective and personal experience as a black man. This piece is moving and honest and gives an honest assessment of personal work to advance racial justice.
Provided and crafted by the LGBTQIA resource center at Georgia Tech, this glossary provides an overview of LGBTQ+ terms and surrounding definitions of allyship.
Published by the National Center for Transgender Equality, this short piece provides ways and ideas on how to be a better ally specifically for trans people.