People often hope for a checklist of the dos and don’ts of allyship. What to say, and what not to say. You will not get a checklist and there is no allyship certification.
I have been fortunate enough to learn and work alongside some of the greatest people. I cannot and do not take credit for this debunking of the concept of allyship. That comes from a dear friend and colleague of mine (out of respect for them and the work they do, they will remain anonymous).
Traditional Allyship Debunked
Like the word ‘community’, the phrase “I am an ally”, has often been either misunderstood, misused, or used only to elevate the individual and not the cause. We must look at the words we use to describe ourselves. Just like our resumes, we may tend to embellish.
In a short time period, the discriminatory nature of the colonial foundation that this country was built on has become more visible to the non-marginalized population. This has led to an increased focus on designated roles and equity, diversity, and inclusion teams, initiatives, and/or departments. Depending on the readiness level of leaders and employees, these initiatives can either be met with resistance or acceptance.
So quickly the term ally or allyship has become a buzzword. Instead of claiming to be an ally, have you asked yourself “did I earn this honour to call myself one?” When you make the claim of ‘ally’ you are gaining from the historical hardships of the community you claim to support by elevating your status and or privilege to show how aware or involved you are.
I do not surround myself with allies, I need accomplices around me.
To me, an ally is someone who inserts themselves at their convenience. An accomplice implicates themselves in my journey.
Allyship is a label. Accomplice is a verb, an action based on trust, consistency, and accountability.
Allies try to pave the way they think is right. Accomplices stand alongside me in solidarity.
What makes an accomplice?
I’ve had many conversations with non-Indigenous people professionally and personally, where the term “ally” is frequently used. Typically in these conversations, individuals will speak to how knowledgeable they are on Indigenous issues, what they believe the causes are, and that they support me in the work I do. I do not interrupt these conversations. But what matters most to me, is not someone’s knowledge base, but what they are doing with it. I want to know what actions they are taking. What are they doing to implicate themselves in the solutions to decolonize systems and institutions?
When someone only shows a willingness to support or advocate in private conversations or on social media, but not in more necessary settings of influence (the workplace, communities, etc), this tells me they’d rather distance themselves – insulate themselves, instead of contributing to transformative change.
An accomplice does the opposite. They implicate themselves in the causes and stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the trenches. An accomplice is aware that you are exposed and want to insulate you, knowing quite well that this may have adverse impacts on them.
What now?
No matter where you are on your journey to becoming an accomplice, I encourage you to reflect on the following questions, to help you position yourself for impact:
- Are you talking more than listening?
- Do you bring up the issue when the people affected are not in the room?
- Are you fostering proactive as opposed to solely reactive change?
- Are you offended or are you concerned?
- Do you go to people who need support and offer, or wait for them to come to you?
- Are you willing to fail conventionally at the expense of succeeding unconventionally?
- Are you removing yourself from the center and centering those who have been most impacted by the problem at hand?
Stay on this journey with us, and follow along for more blogs by Brady and other P4G contributors at p4g.ca/placemaking-at-work
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