Diversity Certificate Program Seminar: Allyship 101

Presenters:

Alexine Fleck, Mary Hoeffel

Audience:

Faculty, Staff, Administrators

Location: 

W2-48

Program Description:

"Like fighting an addiction, being an anti-racist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination" (Ibram X. Kendi)

As Roxanne Gay notes, allies "stand up and take on the problems borne of oppression as their own, without remove or distance." Many white people claim to be -- or aspire to be -- better anti-racist allies, but what does that actually mean? It's easy to want the secret formula for allyship, but that desire can itself become oppressive because it oversimplifies what must be a complex and thoughtful reaction to the insidious and entrenched nature of racism. While this workshop will not offer simple strategies, we will share what we have learned about allyship. You will also have a chance to practice responding to racism during role-play exercises. Ideally, participants will have attended the Racism 101 workshop prior to this session (this session will be held on Monday January 6th 2:30pm – 4pm in W2-48).

Please note: the people who have designed this session have committed themselves to being better allies, but none of them make any claims of mastery. Allyship is a process, not a status, and all the presenters can do is share what they have learned so far