Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

ACTIVITY 41Create a Community of Allies

“The time when you need to do something is when no one else is willing to do it, when people are saying it can't be done.”

—Mary Frances Berry

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We've all endured the agony of defeat. We give something our best effort, and for one reason or another, our best did not yield the desired outcome. So, what did we do? We cut our losses and quit! For committed allies, quitting is not an option. The work is far too important. There are broken systems and policies that need to be dismantled and rebuilt, there are biases and prejudices to be addressed, there are lives to improve, and so much more that cannot happen unless we get involved. The work requires building allyship skills, competencies, and an awareness of the issues of the groups or individuals we advocate with and for. Our learning curves tend to be accompanied by unfortunate and unintentional outcomes that may cause us to second-guess our commitment. On our journey, we may discover that our well-intentioned speaking up on behalf of someone whom we believe was treated unfairly is met with resentment because we did not make space for them to speak up for themselves. Perhaps an affirming compliment shared with a person of color or of a different culture is shunned as they found it offensive. Things happen and we're not going to always get it right. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

If you have started your allyship journey as recommended in Activity 13, “Aspire to Be an Ally,” ...