Moving from Allyship to Antiracism

Abstract

Allyship is a term used to describe white people who support, defend, and protect people of color and Indigenous people. This article moves past the notion of “ally” as an identity and “allyship” as a course of action into “antiracism” as a lifelong journey. Addressing her fellow white people—and particularly white Americans—the author handles this subject in three parts: (1) admitting that we live in a world that centers whiteness constantly, (2) using reflection to neutralize our defensiveness and understand our own motives, and (3) understanding our responsibility to stay present even when our trauma has been triggered. The article culminates in a reflection on what it could mean to increase our emotional maturity—that is, to “grow up and grow out” of racist ways of thinking, being, and doing.