The Visibility Mindset

11Leveraging Allyship

Jessalin Lam

“Allyship is critical. Effective allyship is rooted in humanity. It must be authentic and intentional. It should never be passive tokenizing cheerleading. True allies defend, support, and empathize authentically for all people excluded from access to equity and equality.”

– Ericka Riggs, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group

What exactly is allyship? According to the Center for Creative Leadership, “Allyship refers to the actions, behaviors, and practices that leaders take to support, amplify, and advocate with others, especially individuals who don't belong to the same social identity groups as themselves.”¹ We all have different types of privileges that we may not often think of on a daily basis, including education, ability, language, income, race, or age. We can use that privilege to help others. It is incredibly powerful when we step up to be an ally for others.

This chapter will discuss how the Asian community can leverage allyship with other communities and how to get involved in employee resource groups if available at their company. The chapter also provides actionable tips on how anyone can be a better ally and how we can all work together to bring forth a better future.

Understanding Misconceptions about Allyship

Before we go into how to be an effective ally, consider the misunderstandings of allyship. When you better understand these misconceptions, it will help you become a better ...