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Helping White people fight White Supremacy
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Qualities of an ally
Published by vegankid | Filed under 101
I was sorting through some old papers the other day and found a sheet of paper from the Gay and Lesbian Action Council that is about a decade old called “Qualities of a GLBT Ally.” I was reading through it and realized that such a list would be a really good thing to have on AllyWork. So here is the revised list:
An ally to people of color is a person who…
- …believes that it is in their self-interest to be an ally to people of color.
- …has worked to develop an understanding of issues facing people of color. Is comfortable with their knowledge of racial identity.
- …understand how racism and other patterns of oppression operate. Is willing to identify oppressive acts, and challenge the behaviors of others.
- …works to be an ally to all oppressed people.
- …is quick to take pride in, and appreciates the successes when combating racism and White Supremacy.
- …is open with their support and ally status.
- …chooses to align with people of color and represent their needs, especially when they are unable to safely do so themselves.
- …expects to make some mistakes, and does not use any feelings of personal guilt to become an ineffective ally.
- …promotes a sense of community with people of color, and teaches others about the importance of these communities. Encourages others to provide advocacy. Discusses the issues with family, friends, co-workers, teachers - anyone.
- …is not afraid to be called names, or to be harassed in the same ways as those they are acting as an ally for.
- …is able to address/confront individuals without being defensive, sarcastic, or threatening.
- …is willing to tell their family to stop the name calling, or hate speech.
October 29th, 2007
November 8th, 2007 at 9:20 am interesting list. quite nice. some of them even powerful and intense.
i agree though--with these qualities as essential to any ally (whichever group they're allying with...)
November 8th, 2007 at 3:16 pm i thought about keeping it in its original context (for Queer allies). after all, there are Queer people of color and if you are going to be an ally to people of color you can't ethically choose to just be an ally to het poc.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:20 am I identity as Black British...I keep visiting this blog as I am continuously impressed by it. My comment to this particular entry: I'm wondering about points 10, 11 and 12, especially 12.
For me, I sometimes chose not to say something if I need to preserve my sanity, if I need to protect myself from (further) harm or if I don't want to spend my private time providing free anti-racism training to people who should really know better. Certainly I comment as someone who does not benefit from white privilege and I know it's a different perspective, but am wondering, are there not situations even for white allies where it is better to choose your battles or choose a different method? ...Unhappily I can't think of an appropriate example right now...would be interested in your thoughts...
November 20th, 2007 at 7:45 pm I would agree that there are times when we have to choose our battles, particularly when it comes to personal health and safety. I think its important to look at the phrasing of each quality:
"is not afraid to"
"is able to"
"is willing to"
None of them are absolutes such as "will always". I think the key is to be willing to put yourself out there, and for White folks, to realize that putting ourselves out there is a product of our privilege. We can choose to be silent and complacent and our lives will continue unhindered. People for whom we are acting as allies don't have the privilege of silence.
January 3rd, 2008 at 4:41 pm I think this is a great list. I do have a single word I disagree with: "…is not afraid to be called names, or to be harassed in the same ways as those they are acting as an ally for."
Being afraid is a feeling, which makes it difficult to control; and people can in some circumstances have very good reasons to be afraid. I think it might be better to say something like "Is not deterred by the possibility of being called names, or of being harassed in the same ways as those they are acting as an ally for." It should be okay to be afraid, as long as that fear doesn't deter you from being an ally.
Okay, that's a really minor nit-pick, I know.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:16 pm This is great. I agree with Amp re: 'is not deterred' or something along those lines - missed that, reading, but it's an excellent point.
Also wanted to invite vegankid and rachels (and readers) to come over to the ally 101 thread going at CRN - would love to have you there.
And I haven't commented here before, so thank you in general for this blog. Such a good resource, and appreciated.
January 13th, 2008 at 10:17 am I whole-heartedly agree, Amp. It can be a scary thing to confront friends, family, coworkers and even strangers about topics which you aren't sure how they will react. We can't control that fear. Its natural. I agree that it should instead read "is not deterred"
Therioumorph - thanks for commenting and for the invite to the discussion. What CRN are you talking about? If i get 2 seconds to myself, i'll be sure to stop by.
January 29th, 2008 at 9:38 pm Hi vegankid (very belatedly, just now saw your follow-up comment, doh) - I tried to go back and post the link at the time but wasn't able to get it to go up, unfortunately. Sorry I was so tired I forgot to link it the first time! Double-mess-up on my part.
If you feel like browsing after the fact, the main discussion took place here, and went a couple of hundred comments before I had to do something other than moderate (!).
There's been some interesting and useful follow-up discussion too:
looking at the dynamics which unfolded in the thread here
and
taking it to the big-picture question of how we can better have real dialogue online, given internet norms here.
Again, sorry I was so scattered at the time & forgot the link, but I think it's a useful and interesting resource even after the fact -