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How do you show up for your Black colleagues?
As a result of the continued incidents of police violence against Black men and women, many employers issued statements of solidarity and declarations of being committed to antiracism. In tandem with this commitment came an acknowledgment of the importance of allyship.
Before we talk about allyship, let's define what it actually is—and how it works.
What Is Allyship?
Allyship is when a person of a privileged or non-marginalized identity supports and acts in solidarity with those who experience systemic discrimination and violence.
It’s important to note that allyship should not be reduced to identity or status—it involves ongoing reflection about how one chooses to show up for marginalized groups and actively work to dismantle systems of oppression.
A white ally does not remain silent but instead understands how they can utilize their privilege to confront racism as it comes up daily in the lives of people of color.
Allyship in the Workplace
In the workplace, allyship can take on many forms—it can be actively denouncing microaggressions, avoiding silencing or interrupting women of color or calling out the biases that prevent women of color from advancing.
In Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, she encourages women to take up space, and occupy their seats at the table, seek challenges, and take risks. The book’s main premise is that women can achieve personal and professional success if they simply make bolder moves.
It all sounds good enough, right? Not really.
Many women of color walked away from reading Lean In with immense speculation. They felt as if their experiences were not represented in the book. Here's why.
Women of Color Have Been Leaning In
Women of color have always been bold, daring, and willing to challenge the status quo—but systemic and institutional barriers prevent them from moving beyond the concrete ceiling.
Sheryl Sandberg’s book lacks a deep race and cultural analysis.
It ignores the importance of intersectionality in the workplace—and it also fails to discuss how white women need to demonstrate effective allyship for women of color in professional spaces.
Traditional feminism has conventionally relied on an “all tides rise together” mantra. In other words, when one woman succeeds, we all succeed.
Advancing women’s rights is important—there's no question about it. However, white women do women of color a disservice when they ignore their white privilege and endorse beliefs that all women are the same and have similar experiences.
Feminism that centers the experiences of women of color acknowledges that transformative change occurs when white women support and act in solidarity with women of color in the workplace.
Where Does Your Allyship Lie?
One of the most notable trends in the 2016 presidential election was the large number of white women who voted for Trump.
Despite Trump’s insidious rhetoric on inflicting violence against women, white women voters who supported Trump demonstrated that some white women are more interested in protecting their privilege than fighting for equality.
"When white women make comments about how women of color dress or present themselves in the workplace—they continue to uphold Eurocentric standards of professionalism in the workplace."
Author, speaker, and activist Rachel Cargle calls this "voting for whiteness over your womanhood." It is the idea that white women will vote to maintain white supremacy because it grants them privileges, even when this privilege oppresses women of color.
Similarly, when white women continue to uphold or participate in white supremacist practices in the workplace, this only continues to devalue and further marginalize women of color.
Harmful Comments in the Workplace
Many women of color report that they have been chastised for embracing their natural hair, wearing dresses or professional clothes that show off their voluptuous figure, or for appearing too dominant and controlling when expressing themselves or taking on a leadership role.
When white women make comments about how women of color dress or present themselves in the workplace—they continue to uphold Eurocentric standards of professionalism in the workplace.
This is how white supremacist culture continues to manifest in the workplace.
The Problem With White Tears
White women also do women of color a disservice when they cry or convey emotions that recenter the attention and spotlight on them. “White women tears” are defined as an emotive reaction when white women cry, express sadness or frustration, and utilize their privilege to shift the attention and focus on them, and this inflicts damage on people of color.
These tears are weaponized against women of color when a white woman uses visible sadness or distress to portray themselves as a victim in a conflict situation, often derailing the actual argument and leading to the vilification of Black people.
While all women should feel comfortable in expressing their emotions—white women have the added responsibility of being cognizant of how their actions in a racialized society exacerbate their privilege.
To disrupt systems of privilege and oppression, white women must critically examine the effects of how they choose to engage with women of color and how their actions impact the positionality of women of color.
In cross-racial interactions—when white women express sadness that they have been hurt by another woman of color—these tears only serve to weaponize and demean women of color, further painting them as “angry,” “the offender,” or “the problem child” in the workplace.
Historically, white women tears have been destructive for Black people, particularly Black men. Their tears trigger terrorism and can lead to the harm and murder of Black people. When white women are not sensitive to how their distress can cause harm, this is an example of white centrality and individualism.
How White Women Can Show Up in Support + Solidarity
So, what are some ways that white women can show up and support women of color in the workplace? Below are three useful tips.
1. Listen to Women of Color
The best form of allyship is being cognizant of how your privilege overshadows and devalues the perspectives of women of color. White women must learn to share the microphone—they need to share their platform and allow women of color to utilize their platform.
"Listening involves showing racial humility—it means understanding that white silence is providing space for the voices of women of color to be elevated."
As a white woman, this means not defaulting to traditional practices and policies in the workplace. It also means asking women of color about their concerns, not prejudging these concerns, and not being dismissive of what they have to say.
Listening well involves showing racial humility—it means understanding that white silence is providing space for the voices of women of color to be elevated.
2. Validate the Opinions of Women of Color
“Whitesplaining” is an affliction that’s triggered when some white people hear a person of color complain about racism. They will immediately explain in a condescending tone why the person is wrong, “getting too emotional,” or “seeing race in everything.” White women need to avoid whitesplaining. Rather, they need to affirm and validate the opinions and perspectives of women of color.
"Women of color do a lot of thankless work in the workplace, and their accomplishments are often overshadowed. By publicly acknowledging the work ethic of your women of color staff—you’re conveying that they are indeed valuable contributors."
This means calling out white men who interrupt women of color, or when a woman of color says something in a meeting, support her publicly by reiterating what she said and that you agree with her.
Oftentimes in the workplace, the perspectives of women of color fall on deaf ears, so when white women repeat or validate what was said, it helps in validating their perspective. White women who are in leadership roles or C-Suite roles need to publicly acknowledge the contributions of women of color in the workplace.
Women of color do a lot of thankless work in the workplace, and their accomplishments are often overshadowed. By publicly acknowledging the work ethic of your women of color staff—you’re conveying that they are indeed valuable contributors.
3. Don't "Mind Your Own Business"—Call Out Racial Biases in the Workplace
Allyship involves action, which means that white women need to hold senior leaders accountable for their commitments to increasing racial diversity in the workplace and making their workplace more racially inclusive.
This includes publicly and boldly confronting colleagues who make hostile remarks to women of color. Speaking up about injustices at work is challenging—and many women, regardless of their race, feel as if their careers will suffer if they talk openly about racism. As high as these stakes are for white women who speak up, they’re even higher for women of color.
Allyship means being courageous, and allies need to be willing to sacrifice comfortability for racial inclusivity. White women can work collectively to harness their allyship power—so when addressing racism in the workplace—it’s important to find like-minded white women who share your points of view. Speaking as a collective is powerful.
Our workplaces will not change until white women commit to showing up as effective allies. White women must learn not to see themselves as an anomaly—they must understand how their power and privilege can be utilized to help advance the rights and experiences of women of color in the workplace.
Allyship for white women is leaning into power and privilege and working vigorously to advance social and racial equity for women of color. It’s time to get to work!
