When people talk about being an ally, or acting in allyship, or being an antiracist accomplice, they are speaking about their active collaboration with communities for whom they leverage their power. To work in allyship means to have been accepted as an ally by the group the ally supports. Being an ally is not a designation but an entry point to an ongoing collaborative relationship. Working in allyship requires intentionality, action, and humility. It is the action of being an accomplice or co-conspirator in actively dismantling inequitable systems by following the lead of individuals who experience marginalization.
For example, Anne Bishop and Peggy McIntosh are activists who identify as white allies working to dismantle racism. Non-Indigenous Canadians, settlers, can challenge colonial security. People who identify as heterosexual or straight can work in collaboration with LGBTQ2S+ communities and speak up against homophobia so that individuals with lived experience are not left to do this alone.
In order to break down the social and institutional structures that hold inequity in place, people who benefit from having a privilegedsocial identity play a crucial role in dismantling them through work and awareness of opportunities to be in allyship.
Being in Allyship
Source: dorisjeannemackinnon.caAlt: A white circle within a red square. In the white circle, there is a red bear paw, black feathers, and text that reads: “I am an ally. I am not First Nations, Métis or Inuit. I am Canadian. I support human rights, the protection of our environment and our democracy, and the notion that our elected government should act honestly and honorably in carrying out its obligations to all its people. www.IdleNoMore.ca.”
Source: straightforequality.orgAlt: Text that reads: “As an ally to the trans community, I will....” followed by a line to include an answer. Below this, text reads: “Straight for equality.”
Source: BARC - Building the anti-racist classroom Alt: A bullhorn with text on the side that reads: “BARC.” Text coming out of the horn reads: “Building the anti-racist classroom.”
Source: TwitterAlt: At top left is a person with a speech bubble that reads: “Wait…what is a disability ally?” At the bottom, four people point upward and ten hands reach upward toward text that reads: “someone who supports disabled people, learns from them and amplifies their cause!”
Source: amymaragos.comAlt: A flower with six petals coloured red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Beneath it, text reads: “I am an ally. I am not gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, intersex, or asexual. I just support this crazy thought that everyone should have equal rights. Have a gay day.”
Source: nerdyfeminist.comAlt: A man of colour, wearing sunglasses, stands on a university campus holding a sign that says: “I need feminism because too many people of my gender find sexual assault excusable on our campuses.” Beside him, the image title reads: “Who needs feminism?”
When one works in allyship, or is an ally accomplice, one of the first steps is to accept that this work is not going to be comfortable, nor will it be easy. For example, challenging colonialism as a non-Indigenous person requires acknowledging one’s role in perpetuating colonization as a settler Canadian. But what comes after that first step is much bigger, broader, and frankly more exciting and empowering (Lowman & Barker, 2015).
