In Part 2 of Collecting Courage, we invited several white leaders in the sector to talk about how to be real and active allies for anti-racism work. On the podcast today are Mazarine Treyz, Fundraising Author and Coach, Chris Conroy, Partner at the Wellspring Group, and Scott Russell, Chief Executive Director at the Alzheimer Society of Toronto.
Tips on being active allies from Mazarine, Chris and Scott
- Commit to lifelong learning and listening. Allyship and anti-racism work is not a quick fix – it’s a lifelong commitment. Look for resources to help yourself learn and talk to people around you.
- Stepping Back and Calling Out. When you’re invited to a panel or speaking engagement that includes only white people, do the work to ask questions, call out the organizers, and step back. Acts like participating in all-white panels is perpetuating the system at work that disproportionately supports white voices over other’s.
- Get comfortable with confronting your own complicity. We are all complicit one way or another in participating in a system that is racist. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable feeling of coming face-to-face your own complicity.
Favourite quotes from this episode
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“Highlight people of colour and their work. Pay them if you’re inviting them to speak. Ask the questions that people don’t want to ask. Like, why is the sector not a safe or good space for a lot of people of colour?” ~ Mazarine
“We have to be willing to go deeper and to look at things with critical eyes and questions. We have to be honest with ourselves that we don’t see our bias and complicity very well and see it very clearly.” ~ Scott
“Getting comfortable with getting uncomfortable is about getting comfortable with letting go of your own empowered world view, which has come at the expense at the oppression of people with different worldviews and differing identities, which whiteness has itself framed and named and defined for itself.” ~ Chris
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Resources from this Episode
