Allyship for Race

Consciousness
 Many of us are wondering how we can step up to support Black colleagues and
promote racial justice.

Think of this guide* as one of many starting points to becoming an ally. Throughout
the guide we have been intentional about addressing both white and non-Black people
of color allies because each group can extend different and distinctive types of
allyship. While this is not an exhaustive list, there are three critical components to
being an ally: learning, reflecting and engaging.

THOUGHT STARTERS FOR ALLIES:

 The struggle is real. Solidarity and mutuality are our common goals.
 This hard work is not a moment in time; it is an ongoing learning journey. The work requires
more than attending a parade or a rally to demonstrate support. Don’t take the responsibility of
being an ally lightly.
 This is about building self-awareness through education and advocating for institutional
change.
 Allyship is not self-defined. It is defined by the individual or group to whom you are an ally. You
are an ally when the individual or the group say so and recognize you as one.
 Being an ally is not about recognition, promotion or reward. Allies are not saviors. Rather, ally
ship is all about common good and changing the world.
Allyship 101: Allyship is a relationship with an underrepresented individual or group
outside of your own identity (e.g. disability, racial/ethnic identity, gender, gender
identity, religion, veteran status, sexual orientation, socio-economic status) that is
grounded in accountability, action and respect.

LEARN

Deepening your insight and knowledge is a critical first step to understanding the magnitude and
complexity of the current state and building empathy to authentically connect with your colleagues.
 Take ownership of educating yourself about structural anti-Black racism in the current and
historical context. Opt for sources from Black authors, journalists and organizations. (See
resources below).
 Do not rely on your Black colleagues to educate you. This is emotionally taxing.

*We would like to thank the DPEP D&I team for their significant contribution to the content.
  Consider the ways multiple dimensions of identity (e.g. race, gender, gender identity, sexual
orientation, disability, socio-economic, veterans) can make people vulnerable to interlocking
forms of bias or systems of exclusion. For example, Black transgender and gender non-
conforming people face one of the highest levels of discrimination. (Source: The National
LGBTQ Taskforce).
 Read public posts by Black authors to understand the emotional complexity of navigating the
workplace.
 Proactively seek out Black stories that reflect success, joy, and creativity. Black history and
Black experiences are more than traumatic stories.
 Share your learnings with colleagues, friends and family (including kids and teens) who are not
allies. Be thoughtful about inundating your Black colleagues with your newfound learnings.

REFLECT

Being introspective will allow you to explore how dimensions of your identity affect your lived
experience and ways to manage your emotions without (inadvertently) burdening others.
 Recognize the power and privilege you have based on who you are. Consider your motivation
as an ally now. Reflect on the questions below:
o As a person who aspires to be ally, how you have shown up in the past?
o How can you effect change in your sphere of influence?
o Is there an opportunity to share your learning with other allies?

 Reflect on the diversity of your personal and professional networks and how racial and other
dimensions of your identity give (or do not give) you access and advantage. Proximity to Black
people or being part of a marginalized group does not mean you cannot harbor bias.
 Acknowledge your emotional reactions in this process, the source(s) of discomfort, and
productive ways to address it. Examine and work through feelings of guilt, shame and
defensiveness to understand what is beneath them and what needs to healed.
 Recognize your colleagues are also processing the ways in which the pandemic is
disproportionately affecting the Black community.
 If you are feeling confused, shocked, or have recently awakened to systemic racism, recognize
that this is probably not new to your Black/African American colleagues. Avoid messages like,
"I can’t believe this is happening." The murders of Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, Ahmaud
Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, Rayshard Brooks, Adame Traore and
countless others are part of a long history of systemic racism and transphobia. In solidarity with
U.S. protests, we are seeing similar protests due to police brutality targeted to Black people
around the world. The current unrest represents a tipping point and heightened awareness of
the movement.
ENGAGE

Embracing discomfort and humility along the way will enable your growth as an ally. While it is
important to minimize unintended harm, that should not inhibit you from taking action. It is okay to
make mistakes and learn from them.

Be accountable
 Be willing to make mistakes and be open to feedback. If you make a mistake, apologize and
commit to doing better the next time. While feedback may sting, resist the urge to defend your
intent or center your feelings, and instead focus on the impact you had on the affected person.
 Identify ways to share your access to opportunities or resources, amplify voices, and interrupt
bias and confirm with the group/person to whom you are an ally if they want the specific
support. Allies are not saviors.
 Check-in thoughtfully. Consider your relationship, the level of trust, and whether you are
prepared to provide real support. It is okay if you do not get a response, and if you do, then
listen thoughtfully. Listening with intent can be powerful to make genuine connections.
 Challenge colorblind ideologies and rhetoric (e.g. "All Lives Matter," or "I don't see color."). It is
harmful and hurtful, as it is a form of erasing the real and specific ways racial identities affect
lived experiences.
 Contribute to the Black community by consistently supporting Black/African American-owned
businesses and/or volunteering for organizations that advance racial equity and justice. (Refer
to information provided in the resource section)
 Notify your Human Resources Business Partner, Employee Relations or Diversity & Inclusion
representative if you see problematic posts on Slack or company approved social channels.

Be involved:
Individual (Self)
 Do not question or debate Black colleagues’ lived experience. For example, “Are you sure they
meant it that way?” “It’s not a race thing,” or “I’m playing devil’s advocate…” Instead, reserve
judgement and offer statements of validation if someone shares their experience.
 Acknowledge and listen with empathy when Black colleagues share their lived experiences.
Avoid saying, “I feel you,” “I have been there,” and instead say “I hear you,” “Tell me more
about what that felt like.”
 Avoid conflating the Black experience with other communities of color. While other people of
color are subject to racism, there is a unique history that has led to anti-Black racism and the
ways in which that shows up.
  Avoid reposting traumatic images and videos, or asking your Black colleagues to recount their
experiences. Continuously looking at traumatic images will desensitize you. Reflect on why
you need to consume that and its impact on you, who you may be emotionally impacting, and
whether your intent outweighs the harm it inflicts.
 Do not call on your Black colleagues to represent the voice of their community; while they
share the experience of being Black in America, the community is not a monolith.
 Avoid using statements like “Let’s keep this conversation professional” or “politics don’t belong
at work” to try to shutdown conversation about what’s happening.
 Be aware of “microaggressions” which can be statements that devalue someone. A few
examples of these statements are “You are very articulate,” “You are not like others I have met
from the Black community,” “and I like your Black Southern accent,” etc.
 Allyship is not about credit, reward or showcasing all the ways you are saving the world.

Institution (TWDC)
 Be aware of tokenism, when Black professionals are expected to be representative for their
entire race.
 Mention professional skills and qualities of Black colleagues when they are not around to
provide visibility and sponsorship.
 Endorse and recognize Black colleagues’ contributions and accomplishments publicly.
 Provide mentoring and sponsorship within your sphere of influence to bridge the gaps in
access and support for Black colleagues and candidates.
 Proactively offer opportunities for sustained career growth and advocate for development to
help promote Black talent. Share their career goals with decision makers.
 Practice fairness to counter the stereotypes and biases around capabilities and competencies.
 Create an environment where authenticity around Black identity is welcomed and embraced.
 Provide transparency on access to career growth opportunities (stretch assignments, skill-
building courses, high-profile projects, exposure to leadership, etc.).
 Demonstrate accountability for harassment and discrimination. Reach out to Human
Resources and Employee Relations partners for guidance and advice.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER LEARNING

White Privilege:
 Podcast: "Seeing White" from Scene on Radio
 NPR Podcast: Why Now, White People?
 The New Yorker Article, by Katy Waldman: A Sociologist Examines the White Fragility That
Prevents White Americans From Confronting Racism
 NPR audio: “Whistling Vivaldi” And Beating Stereotypes
Racially Just Workplace:
 Harvard Business Review: Toward A Racially Just Workplace
 Forbes: Stop Asking Black People If You Can Touch Their Hair

Allyship:
 Vanity Fair Article: How White Women can be better Black Lives matter Allies
 CNN Article: How to respond to microaggression as an Ally
 Implicit Bias Test: RACE IAT
 Parenting Article: Are you a well-meaning white parent who perpetuates racism?

Global Perspectives:
 Council on Foreign Relations: Why African Nations Support U.S. Anti-Racism Protesters
 Time Article: Racism is Surging in Germany. Tens of Thousands Are Taking to the Streets to
Call for Justice

Books:
 New York Time: Best Sellers on Race and Civil Rights
What Can I Do About Racism?
An Anti-Racism Discussion Guide
Introduction
If you’ve been watching the news or perusing social media these days, you’ve seen
videos more heart-wrenching than you’d ever want to witness. The recent deaths of
Black Americans Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, along with
countless others, have caused protests and riots to spring up across the globe. These
injustices coupled with the anti-Asian racism and xenophobia fueled by COVID-19
has prompted many of us to ask this question worldwide:

“What can I do about racism?”

Some of the individual, insidious instances of racism like implicit biases and
microaggressions are difficult to identify and quantify, let alone fight.

So how do we, as individuals, make a difference?

Anti-racism can begin here by increasing our awareness of the discrimination people
of color face daily. Education comes next, followed by a thorough self-examination.
Then, these ideas must be coalesced into action, because all the ideas in the world
don’t mean anything if people do not feel safe, seen, or secure in their workplaces
and communities.

This discussion guide will prepare you to have open dialogue about racism with your
colleagues. The links to the Blue Ocean Brain library and outside resources will help
you dive deeper into topics for further conversation and reference. The guide is built
not to cast blame, but to provide information that can help build skills.

Racism is certainly not new for many countries around the world, but the consistent
recording of the atrocities people of color are facing sheds new light on this old
problem, one we can work together to end.

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Index
Part I: Unconscious Contributions to Racism

• Implicit Biases

• Microaggressions

Part II: Becoming an Anti-Racist Today

• Interrupting Biases

• Working Toward Inclusivity and Belonging

Part III: Looking Forward: It’s Equity, not Equality

Part IV: Resources

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Unconscious Contributions to Racism
(Part I)

“Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against

someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is
superior.”

You might be saying to yourself, “Oh great! Based on that definition, I’m not a racist,
so this is a discussion guide for other people. I don’t believe that my race is superior
to anyone else’s.”

The problem is that systemic racism, or racism carried out by groups with power like
societies, governments, businesses, and schools, benefits some people and harms
others despite your personal beliefs. What’s more, individual racism is often buried
deep, affecting people who have only the best of intentions, and the impact can
compound harm to people inside and outside of work whether you realize it or not.
Implicit Biases
Implicit biases are negative beliefs you’re not even aware you have, that can still
affect your understanding of, actions toward, and decisions about other people. Our
workplaces and communities are often filled with the effects of implicit biases, which
can be passed from generation to generation:

• Hiring processes and decisions tend to more favorably view people who
look, act, and sound like those doing the hiring, who are often primarily
White. And that’s only if people of color get the interview. Hiring
managers often make assumptions about applicants based on names,
colleges, and fraternity or sorority memberships which impacts whether
an applicant is considered.

• Behaviors such as ignoring or disbelieving the experiences of people of

color, staying silent when someone else makes a racist remark, or even
something as simple as “staying out of it,” when people discuss race,
can fuel the underpinnings of discrimination.

In a stark study on implicit bias in the hiring process, Black applicants

without a criminal record were about as likely to be called for a second
interview as a White applicant with a criminal record when the resume
was otherwise identical.

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Microaggressions
People often think of racism as Klu Klux Klan members in hoods burning crosses in
people’s yards or racial profiling by law enforcement officials. But workplace racism is
often more covert and might show up in microaggressions, which are small jokes,
veiled insults, or acts of power that negatively comment on a person’s race, ethnicity,
or culture. They may seem small in the moment (a papercut), but when compounded
(a thousand papercuts), they can do incredible damage.

Reflect: In a society where racism benefits some people by taking away

opportunities from others, where do you stand? Are you someone who has
been disadvantaged or advantaged by racist infrastructure? Think carefully
about whether or not your wealth, income, treatment by the criminal justice
system, employment, access to housing, health care, political power, and
education might be different if you were of a different race.

Discussion Starter #1
The Discussion Starters throughout this guide are designed to engage you
and your colleagues in meaningful conversation. Encourage everyone to be
open and respectful of one another as you discuss.

Deeper Group Discussions

• Can we go around and suggest some appropriate responses when we
witness someone expressing personal biases? (i.e. “That comment was
racist. Is that what you meant to say?” or “We don’t make racist
comments here.”)

• Can you suggest some appropriate responses from the person who
gets called out? (i.e. “I’m sorry for the offense I caused. I hear you,” or “I
didn’t realize that was racist and I apologize. I won’t repeat it.”

Pro Inclusion Tip

Acknowledge that everyone has unconscious biases no matter who we
are. Our brains prompt us to hold onto them, and though we cannot
always control those messages we receive, we can certainly control what
we do with them.

5
 Becoming an Anti Racist Today
(Part II)

Interrupting Biases
So, how do you interrupt biases you might not know you have, and in some cases, are
adamantly opposed to? Here are five ways to begin:

1. Be proactive. You’re already making the first step by reading this guide.
That’s a great start! Take it a step further and educate yourself by
reading guides about racism or fiction written by people who have a
different racial identity than you do. Nonfiction creates awareness of
hidden biases and fiction creates empathy for others.

2. Contribute. Financially and verbally support businesses owned by

underrepresented groups.

3. Reach out. Ask for honest and direct feedback from colleagues about
your speech and behavior. You might need someone else to shine a
light on areas where you’re in the dark.

4. Be open. When someone gives you feedback, try not to take it

personally if what they’ve said is upsetting. Just listen, and allow
yourself a few days to ponder whether there might be some truth
behind their comments.

5. Speak up. Stand up for others who are being discriminated against in
both covert ways (not getting an invitation to lunch, not being
included in a meeting with peers, having to do twice the work for half
the credit, etc.) and overt ways (bearing the brunt of blame, being
talked over in a meeting, etc.).

Pro Inclusion Tip

Listen to the experiences of others, especially those with marginalized
identities (those groups treated as insignificant or peripheral) who often
don’t have an equal say in decision making. Give them the floor in
meetings or on calls, even if it means silencing yourself to do so. You
learn more when you listen than when you speak, anyway, so it’s a win-
win.

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 Working Toward Inclusivity & Belonging
After you’ve confronted your own biases and are helping put a stop to
discrimination, work diligently to build a workplace that is inclusive of people of color
and help them feel like they belong.

Make some of these practical changes that can help make work life more inclusive:

 Change 1: Mindfully hand out high-value projects

Reconsider who is capable of doing important jobs, and look outside of your
small team of champions. Chances are good someone who is not on your usual list
can excel at the job, says Joyce Norcini, former general counsel for Nokia Siemens
Networks.

 Change 2: Respond quickly to double standards and idea theft

When you see instances of majority-group members taking or being given
credit for ideas that people of color originally offered, speak up and give the idea
originators their due.

 Change 3: Seek opinions from those who don’t speak up

Some people are brought up to be modest our quiet which can lead them to
hold back their opinions. Counter this by actively seeking out their thoughts.
“Jackie, you’re experienced, here. What’s your take on this?”

 Change 4: Learn what to say, and what not to say

People with the best of intentions are often unwittingly causing harm with
their language, especially during tumultuous times like we’re living in today. The
guide on the next page, adapted from Adunola Adeshola, Forbes contributor
and executive coach, offers some insight.

7
 What Not To Say to Your Black
Colleagues Right Now What To Say

“I’m scared to say the wrong thing to “I’m having conversations about racism
you.” with my non-Black family and friends, even
though I’m afraid.”
This asks your Black colleague to either
console you or help you figure out what This shows Black colleagues that you are
to say, which isn’t fair. being courageous enough to take a stand.

“I hope/pray things change soon.” “I’m taking these steps to become a better
ally.”
This shows that you mean well, but “I’m shutting down racist comments on my
meaning well isn’t enough. Adeshola team.”
says, “This is the time to do well.” “I’m supporting the fight against racism by
calling my representatives, backing Black
businesses, and/or XYZ.”

This shows that you’re paying more than lip

“I can’t wait for things to calm down and service to the anti-racism movement.
get back to normal.” “I realize my discomfort is a fraction of what
you’re feeling.”
This says that your comfort is more
important than the message of anti- Acknowledge that while you might feel
racism. unsettled right now, Adeshola says Black
people are “exhausted, mentally drained,
frustrated, stressed, barely sleeping, scared
and overwhelmed,” feelings which demand
empathy and action.

Pro Inclusion Tip

To create unity in your group, talk about your organization’s shared
values. Use common examples of cooperation that everyone can relate to
no matter their identity, like hospital staff working in unison to save a
patient or sports teammates playing together to win the game. We’re all
human and we all want to feel like we are part of something greater than
ourselves.

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 Building Belonging
Belonging means being part of a group, sharing with others, and feeling secure
enough to be who you really are. No matter where we come from, we all want to
belong. It’s human nature and the one thing we have in common.

When employees feel they belong, performance and retention increase. When they
feel they don’t belong, their work can suffer. And if enough people feel the same, the
entire company can suffer.

How to Build Belonging

Recognize Encourage Free Value Everyone’s Help Others Feel Communicate

Accomplishments Expression Contributions Comfortable at Work Transparently

Have you heard of the term intersectionality? Basically, it’s the way in which
different forms of discrimination overlap. For instance, a Black person who is
also a member of the LGBTQ community, or a Chinese-American who is
disabled, face different and greater discrimination than someone who carries
one marginalized identity.

9
 Discussion Starter #2
Remind people that everyone is here to learn and do better, and an open
and honest exchange is part of that process.

Ice Breaker
Stanford University research shows that helping people of color feel like they belong
significantly reduces stress levels and improves physical health, emotional well-being, and
performance. If you’re a person of color, can you comment on that? How does your stress level
impact your performance given the state our communities are in right now?

Deeper Group Discussions

• If you’re not a person of color, how does your stress level impact your
performance? Can you empathize with those who might have
intersectional stressors?

• How can we all be more transparent in our communication with one

another?

• What concrete steps can we take to ensure everyone feels comfortable

to express themselves about their concerns?

• What changes can we make this month to build a more inclusive

environment?

Pro Inclusion Tip

Someone’s race or ethnicity isn’t a taboo topic. Talk openly about it to
appeal to people’s conscious values and challenge their unconscious
biases. You cannot address racial injustice in the workplace if you do not
acknowledge that different experiences exist for people. But be aware
that if you’re going to talk about race, identify everyone’s race, including
those who are White. By identifying someone as Black or Latinx, but not
categorizing someone else as White, you’re saying that White is the norm
by which all other races are measured.

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Looking Forward: Equity, Not Equality
(Part III)

Equality is a noble goal. Equal treatment and access to opportunities help each of us
perform our best within a shared set of parameters. But we really need to be striving for
equity, where we focus on the equality of the outcome, not the equality of the
experience by taking individual needs and skills into account.

Equality Equity

A Challenge: So, what can you do about racism? Krishna Kuman of ISEC says to
do this to combat it in your organization:

Leaders
• Take some time to step back and reflect on the diversity and inclusion
strategies you are presently pursuing.

• Make them even better by building a leadership team with people of

color at the helm to identify objectives, aspirations, and solutions for
real change.

• Personally list your three greatest strengths you can leverage to meet
the group;s goals, and write out three actions you take starting today.

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 Everyone
• Be a change agent by calling out microaggressions and other racist
behavior when you witness them.

• Speak up to leadership about discriminatory policies and hiring

practices, and ask when changes will be made.

• Pass the mic to those who are excluded and silenced, redirecting the
conversation using their names so their voices are heard.

In your workplace, you (yes, YOU) can be the person who helps your colleagues feel
like they belong and encourages them to live authentically at work, a goal for every
single individual no matter who they happen to be.

Discussion Starter #3
Before you begin, tell everyone that the primary focus of this discussion is
on solutions, not blame or shame.

Ice Breaker
It is important to educate ourselves about our implicit biases and how they support
systemic racism across the globe, but it is vital to make a difference in our workplaces and
communities. Let’s go around the group and discuss this question:

“What actionable steps can you take to be an anti-racist?”

Deeper Group Discussions

• Do you feel equipped to become part of the solution? If not, will you commit
to learning more using some of the resources that follow?

• How can we, as a group, support everyone else as they learn more about anti-
racism?

• What changes should our organization make within the month to support
anti-racism?

• What questions do you still have about racism?

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Resources for Further Reading
(Part IV)

Blue Ocean Brain Resources

Building Better Allyship
An ally is a person who stands up for others to proactively build inclusion in their
communities, workplaces, and places of worship. Allies with privileged identities are
necessary to establish an even playing field.
• How to Become an Ally

Confronting Biases
Biases can both positively and negatively impact who we hire, who we favor, who we
promote, and who we associate with on the job. Since they’re difficult to quantify, they
take even more work to dismantle than outright discrimination does.
• Blindspots in the Brain

Crossing the Cultural Divide

A field experiment on labor market discrimination that studied over 5,000 resumes
found that resumes with white-sounding names (Emily Walsh and Brendan Baker)
received 50% more callbacks than those with black-sounding names (Jamal Jones and
Lakisha Washington). Researchers also found that a white-sounding name yielded as
many callbacks as an additional eight years of experience.

• What’s in a Name?

Outside Resources
Podcasts
• 1619 (New York Times)
• About Race
• Code Switch (NPR)
• Intersectionality Matters! (hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
• MOMENTUM: A Race Forward Podcast

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Nonfiction About Racism for Adults
• How to be an antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility: why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism by
Robin DiAngelo
• The condemnation of blackness: race, crime and the making of modern
urban America by Khalil Gibran Muhammad
• Dying of Whiteness: how the politics of racial resentment is killing
America’s Heartland by Jonathan M. Metzl
• The invention of race in the European middle ages by Geraldine Heng
• The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of African Middle Ages by Francois-
Xavier Fauvelle
• Mixed Race in Asia: Past, Present and Future by Zorien L. Rocha and
Farida Fozdar
• Black in Latin America by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Nonfiction About Racism for Children and Teens
• Separate is never equal: Sylvia Mendez and her family’s Fight for
desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Malcolm Little: The boy who grew up to become Malcolm X by Ilyasah
Shabazz illustrated by AG Ford
• Young water protectors: A story about standing rock by Aslan and Kelly
Tudor
• We are not equal: Understanding our racial divide by Carol Anderson
with Tonya Bolden
• It’s Trevor Noah: Born A Crime : Stories from a South African Childhood
by Trevor Noah
Fiction by Authors of Color for Adults
• Little Gods by Meng Jin
• The perfect world of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
• Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
• Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham
• Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Fiction by Authors of Color for Children and Teens

Children

• Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

• A different Pond by Bao Phi
• I got the Rhythm by Connie Schofield-Morrison
• Jasmine Toguchi by Debbi Michiko Florence
• Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina

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Middle Grade
• Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
• A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee
• The other half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel
• Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya
• A Place at the Table by Laura Shovan and Saadia Faruqi

Teen
• Dear Martin by Nic Stone
• Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
• Black Enough edited by Ibi Zoboi
• The Downstairs Girl by STACEY LEE
• We are not from here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

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