RISE Blog | Allyship: Where do I Start?

By: Dannie Haakinson, Peer Educator
May 8th, 2023

With Black History Month and Women's History Month behind us, and Pride Month just around the corner, you've most likely heard someone mention allyship. The term ‘ally' has gotten thrown around a lot in recent years, but it may be hard to know what allyship actually looks like, and how to be an ally yourself. As someone who is both an ally and a part of the LGBTQIA community, I understand what it's like to show and receive allyship. In this blog, I'll walk you through what it means to be an ally and how you can show your allyship in meaningful ways.

What is allyship?

​Allyship has many definitions, but the definition I'll provide in this blog comes from the National Institute of Health. In their article, they define allyship as “when a person of privilege works in solidarity and partnership with a marginalized group of people to help take down the systems that challenge the group's basic rights, equal access, and ability to thrive in our society.” What this means is as allies, we have certain privileges that underrepresented groups may not have. Being an ally means we are able to use this privilege to help make change, because it can be safer for the marginalized group, and puts more people behind an effort!

How can I be an ally?

​Calling yourself an ally is a step in the right direction, but it can't be the only step you take. A 2022 study by Collier-Spruel and Ryan looked at the effectiveness of different allyship attempts. The study found that “allyship missteps” actually led to an increase in anxiety and a decrease in psychological safety in underrepresented group members. This fact shouldn't deter your from considering yourself an ally, but it just means you have to be mindful in the way that you show your allyship. 

To help with this, I'll briefly go over a general dos and don'ts of allyship based on that research paper, as well as other articles and my own experience. Since there's no way to get a fully comprehensive list of allyship tactics, I encourage you to do your own research into the needs of different groups, as there's not a “one size fits all” for the ways allies are needed. With anything that may require you to go out of your comfort zone, always know your own limits and take care of yourself. You can't 100% help others if you're giving yourself 0% of care.

Listen and Learn

As mentioned prior, educating yourself on an issue, as well as listening to what underrepresented groups are asking for is crucial for the foundation of being an ally. When a group tells you what they need from you, listen! If there's something you don't know, look it up or ask! Having a foundation of knowledge on the issue should always be your first step. 

Relying on others when educating

​Now, you may be thinking, “you just told me to ask questions, so why is this bad?” While I think it's always good to ask questions, but some questions might be better for Google. This is especially true for questions that may be a bit invasive or may be really heavy to talk about constantly. If you're unsure if your question is appropriate, play it safe and look into the topic yourself.

Be willing to be wrong

​It is an impossible task to ask someone to know everything about everyone, and the same goes for allyship. You can read as many articles and research papers as you want, but individual needs differ from person to person, and you may be corrected, and that's okay. I may be a member of the LGBTQIA community, but I still make mistakes within my own community! Be willing to hear that you're wrong and be willing to be flexible with your thinking. Don't try to defend a mistake or get upset, because being corrected is just another opportunity to learn.

Speak out

​This one may seem obvious, but allyship requires you to speak out on these issues. This doesn't have to be going to protests every day (but it can!) but it can be more realistic things to incorporate in everyday activities. Some examples of this can be learning about and using all-encompassing language, speaking up when someone says something problematic, and intervening when someone is being targeted. With the last one, you should always focus on supporting someone as opposed to attacking the aggressor, as it's safer all around. 

Speaking over 

​While speaking out on issues, it's important that you are not speaking over underrepresented individuals or speaking on their behalf. Of course, there are situations where it's safer for you to step in, but your main role is support. Let marginalized voices speak, while you just need to hold the megaphone. In my own experience, just the presence of allies makes it safer for me to speak for myself, but some people won't listen no matter how much I talk. This would be where you could step in, but it should not be your go-to.

Conclusion

​Being an ally is a wonderful chance to help foster an environment of growth and embracing differences. I hope you found something useful to take from this, and I hope you use that information to help make change in your community.

References

Collier-Spruel, L. & Ryan, A. 2022. Are all allyship attempts helpful? An investigation of effective and ineffective allyship.Springer Link.

Dickenson, S. 2021. What is allyship?  National Institutes of Health. 

LGBTQ Rolla. 2023. Allyship. LGBTQ ROLLA.

Trailhead. 2023. Learn how to be a successful ally: Four key practices. Salesforce. 

YWCA. (2023). 10 things allies can do. YWCA.

 

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