BLACK ALLYSHIP: A ROLE REVERSAL FOR TURNING A MOMENT INTO A MOVEMENT

I debated for several weeks whether or not to write this post out of my fear of the “cancel culture” that permeates society. That is until I started to see it as a powerful tool in the social justice movement that was worth the risk to hold me accountable. Cancel culture is no different than the civil rights boycotts of the 1950s and ‘60s. Similar to those times, the BLACK vote may not have been enough to address structural inequality, but BLACK voices (Martin, Malcom, Ella Baker, Baldwin, Evers, Dorothy Height, John Lewis, Carmichael, Newton, Chisholm, Edelman) played a significant role in shaping movements. Today, although social media has increased the power, visibility, and significance of BLACK voices, we still do not have the ability to fix structural inequality.  More to come on that last sentence. 

After reading countless articles and participating in numerous conversations that began with “in light of recent events and tragedies” that eventually morphed into a conversation about allyship, I felt myself becoming frustrated, but I couldn’t articulate why. After talking it through with close friends, I narrowed it down to three reasons (the singular focus on policing versus all aspects of the black experience and the absence of a concrete set of ideas or policies to address systemic racism), but I will focus on one reason here.  

In light of recent events and tragedies, I have developed a complicated relationship with the word ally. Part of my frustration comes from its overuse and misuse, especially from individuals who award themselves with the ALLYSHIP MEDAL of FREEDOM without doing any of the deliberate work required to bring about meaningful change. Activists have tried to address this by pushing the notion that ally is a verb and not a noun. There is even a relatively new term, accomplice, which tries to address some of the limitations of allyship. What I want to address is the notion of “white” allyship and the absence of “BLACK” allyship, and why this is important. Even a google search for BLACK allyship led me to resources for white allyship. 

For the purposes of this post, I will use the following definition for allyship (it is not my own): Allyship is an active and consistent practice of using power and privilege to achieve equity and inclusion while holding ourselves accountable to marginalized people’s needs.™ 

The first thing to clear up is that ANYONE can be an ALLY in the fight for racial equity, including BLACK people. In fact, in light of recent events and tragedies, I am dedicating myself to becoming an ally to anyone who has committed to use their power and privilege to achieve racial equity, who is also not afraid of being held accountable.  

 Buckle up, here is where things get interesting.  

 If it were up to BLACK people to end systemic racism and injustice, we would have done so over 400 years ago. My personal belief is that we cannot solve a problem that we did not create. Therefore, it isn’t our fight to LEAD. We are emotionally drained, physically exhausted, and working overtime to just survive.

What we can do is play a powerful supporting role to non-blacks who want to LEAD, or put differently, be their ally. The BLACK community has earned its Ph.D. in Systemic Oppression; however, we’ve been at a crossroads as it pertains to teaching others about our experience because while some genuinely want to understand our experience and the source of our anger, frustration, and pain, others see our pain as their entertainment.  

Nelson Mandela said, “education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” That sentiment led me to embrace my role as an educator to those who want to abolish systemic racism by explaining to them how it works to oppress people and also what is needed to build a more equitable system. There is no greater leadership role than that of a teacher.

In light of recent events and tragedies, I’ve engaged in open and honest dialog with colleagues and friends that revealed something I did not previously believe could be true. People can obtain power and privilege without understanding how the system was designed to produce that result for them. In my personal experience, these individuals who were truly unaware have demonstrated the greatest commitment to learning and acting, which is why they reach out to BLACK colleagues for insight and instruction. It is important for us as BLACK people to be aware of this as we reflect on what role we want to play in this moment and movement. 

These conversations also produced dialog about the importance of the language we use and the origin (intent) of that language. For example, referring to certain groups as "marginalized" lumps us all together and minimizes the impetus for our marginalization. The reasons are different, which means the solutions are different. It also doesn’t take into account the missed opportunity for those in positions of “power and privilege” to capitalize on the many benefits of a more racially diverse and inclusive environment. How much more could their lives, or that of their children, be enriched if there were policies and systems in place that ensured equity in education, healthcare, the workplace, our communities and politics

As we rapidly move towards a majority minority population in the US, the absence of racial equity could cripple our economy, which we are seeing play out as a result of the impact of COVID-19 in the BLACK and LantinX community due to underlying health conditions and social and economic disparities. It is my hope that this moment will hasten the pace of change and expand the range of thinking on policies needed to dismantle structural racism, because ALL LIVES stand to be impacted if we do not.

This concept of BLACK allyship towards white leaders in not a new one in OUR history. Frederick Douglas was a consultant to Abraham Lincoln. John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson worked closely with BLACK civil rights leaders. BLACK student leaders trained white members of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) who participated in sit-ins where they were beaten alongside BLACKs and even lost their lives during a freedom ride to register people to vote in Mississippi, despite being warned of the danger. 

Some white allies took their commitment even further by becoming abolitionist, risking their comfort, safety, and status to ensure that their fellow Americans experienced equity and its afforded benefits. There are several notable abolitionists who committed their time, homes, safety, and status to the freedom of BLACK people -- because their lives mattered. Names like Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Seward, William Lloyd Garrison, and John Brown.

BLACK and white voices, boycotts, demonstrations, and unfortunately deaths, stirred up the consciousness of this country and the world in the past, much like it is doing today. Those moments sparked a movement that produced civil rights, voting rights, and desegregation, enacted and ultimately enforced by majority white branches of government who did what was morally right even when it may not have been universally popular.

Here is my call to action. 

Non-Black People: You have too much influence to just be a supportive ally. Take a leadership role. Be accountable. It will be difficult. It may lead to some social and political risk. You may lose some friendships. There may not be a physical award for your efforts. But know that many of us (BLACK PEOPLE) are here to support you as an ALLY.  

My BLACK brothers and sisters: If and when you are ready to, answer the leadership call of being a teacher.  As a teacher, you get to share your experience, hand out assignments, assess if the homework was done, and offer constructive feedback. You will also learn a lot from your "students", who will continue to push you to continue your studies to be a better teacher. This perspective may allow you to see the "burden" of teaching differently as you assume a more supportive role as an accountability partner. 

Plato said, "the measure of a man is what he does with power."  What will we all do with our power?