Ally-ship is critically important for Black families: caregivers, guardians and parents, whose lives and experiences are impacted by anti-Black racism, homophobia, anti-Islamophobia, sexism and so much more. Our identities often intersect, and many of these identities experience oppression. The oppression can lead to multiple areas of barriers, and impact our emotional, mental, and spiritual well being. Being an Ally means that those who experience "privilege" (i.e. unearned advantages) create space for people experience oppression to have their voice, direct efforts of moving forward, and support where they lead you to.
To learn about Ally-ship, we created a You Tube Playlist. Contact us for more information on how you can be an ally, and support Black families in unique ways.
1.) How to be an Ally for Social Justice
Length: 11:29
Subtitles: auto captions (10-15 errors which may slightly alter the meaning of speech)
Description: Dr. Melissa Michelson, professor of political science at Menlo College, talks about the power of in-groups in allyship. Supported by her own research on social change related to gay marriage and transgender acceptance, Dr. Michelson explains how people can work to change harmful opinions about others in their own social circles.
2.) Allyship is the Key to Social Justice
Length: 9:28
Subtitles: auto captions (many errors during the song from 00:10 - 3:34 which severely distort meaning; 5-10 errors during the following speech which may slightly alter the meaning)
Description: Whitney Parnell, activist and “Professional Humanitarian”, discusses how all people can practise allyship in areas where they hold privilege. Allies work to create understanding through empathy and by providing perspective. Minds are changed one at a time, and difficult conversations are had one at a time, but they come together to create opportunities for social justice.
3.) 3 Ways to be a Better Ally in the Workplace
Length: 9:37
Subtitles: Human-made English captions and translations (Arabic, Chinese, Croation, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Korean, Persian, Portugese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish, Ukranian)
Description: Melinda Epler, novelist and advocate, explains three different ways on how to become a better ally in the workplace. Epler shares her experiences as being underrepresented and discusses how it is up to us to be allies and make a change.
4.) Screaming in the Silence: How to be an Ally, not a Saviour
Length: 14:17
Subtitles: auto captions (10-12 errors which may slightly alter the meaning of speech)
Description: This talk by Graciela Mohamedi, a physics teacher and activist, reminds the audience of the importance of centring the voices of people of colour. She highlights how white liberals and progressives tend to speak over or take away the voices of people of colour instead of listening. Graciela does a 30-second silent experiment with the audience for them to experience what silence feels like and the outcome of listening.
5.) What If White People Led the Charge to End Racism?
Length: 10:43
Subtitles: human-made captions and translations (French, Portugese, Spanish)
Description: Dr. Nita Mosby Tyler is the Chief Catalyst and Founder of The Equity Project LCC. She discusses in this TED talk on why we need “unlikely allies” in the fight for justice. Dr. Mosby Tyler explains that individuals experiencing inequality need to use the support that is there for them, including getting those “unlikely allies” involved so that we can all come together and fight for equity.
6.) Don’t be a Saviour, be an Ally
Length: 9:22
Subtitles: auto captions (many errors which alter the meaning of speech)
Description: Rayna Gordon, a member of the Pine Crest graduating class of 2020, talks about the practice of saviorism and her experiences for social change. She goes into detail about the different types of privilege we each have and discusses intersectionality. Rayna emphasizes how intersectionality should be present in all aspects of social justice. Being an ally, recognizing our privilege, practicing intersectionality, and learning from our mistakes can make a change in our society.
