White Allies

I have to admit, the part of the conference that I was LEAST looking forward to was the White Allies Affinity group. If my mission for being here was to better understand the experience of those who have been habitually marginalized and how I can better support those individuals, why would I want to sit for hours with hundreds of people that look like me, think like me, and arguably have not had those experiences of marginalization? But I gave the first session a shot, and I am glad that I did.

We were ushered into a HUGE ballroom and seated in small groups of eight. Once in these small groups, we were asked to reflect the on ways in which we have been good allies to not only people of color, but to all people who are different from us with regards to race, creed, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. We were asked to give examples of when we were good allies and also, examples of when we weren’t — when we should have stood up but didn’t and to dig into why. I loved the group that I was randomly assigned. It felt amazing to have these conversations with strangers with no fear of rejection.

At one point, the facilitator took the time to throw out some numbers…676. 676 people were in the room with us at this moment, but in actuality, 1100 white people were registered and attending the conference. There was no judgment around that, but it was a simple reflection that around 40% of the registered white people attending PoCC did not attend the White Ally Affinity group. Granted, I imagine that a number of those people shared my original trepidation, and perhaps another group had other tasks to do, but missing 424 people for a significant session that was meant to dive into what it means to be a good ally for marginalized people seemed like a LOT to me.

Did I learn how to be a better ally at this session? Yes, I think I did. In talking about my own practice with a group of strangers, and in hearing their point of view, I do think that I learned how to be more intentional and, in some instances, brave. I am looking forward to the next session where we will dive deeper into our history and experiences with people of color and how those experiences have informed our current thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

— Shayna Cooke, Director of Educator Development, World Leadership School