If you’re a white person or non-black person of color, it’s high time to step up your game as an ally to black activists demanding an end to police violence. (And let's understand history for a second: It has always been high time.)
In the last two weeks, a flood of public support for digital campaigns demanding justice for George Floyd, a 46-year-old man who died after an officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes, has led to record-breaking petitions and fast-growing fundraisers.
Showing up as an ally is clearly crucial right now, but ineffective allyship can have dire consequences.
On Tuesday, for instance, Instagram users posted pictures of black squares in solidarity with Blackout Tuesday. Though well-intentioned, many of those posting were using the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which then obscured vital information about demonstrations for the Black Lives Matter activists that needed to see that information. The posts were also criticized by many for being a hollow form of solidarity.
One thing became clear: In order to be an ally, you need to put in the work.
Mashable spoke with Leslie Mac, a digital strategist and anti-racism trainer, and Dr. Allissa Richardson, a University of Southern California professor who studies how marginalized communities use social media, to talk through the most effective ways to engage in substantial, rather than performative, allyship.
They noted that above all, you should avoid burdening black people at this moment. To avoid doing so, they suggest taking the time to research and understand the issues you're speaking out on, rather than turning to others to do so for you. There's plenty of resources out there.
"Google is your friend," Mac said. "It's a give when we want to give situation."
Here's what Mac and Richardson had to say about stepping up as an ally during this pivotal moment in history.
On social media
1. Interrogate why you're posting
There are two main considerations you should keep in mind before posting information about racial justice right now, according to Mac.
First, you need to think about your own intent: If the goal of a post is to make you feel like you “did something” for an ongoing struggle that reaches back to the very roots of our country’s history, that’s not the right reason, Mac points out.
Instead, as an ally, your social media posts should be centered on what black activists need in your area, which might be achieved through monetary support or by lifting up the things they’re sharing or talking about.
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Then, think about the impact of that post: Will the information conveyed within it actually provide your followers with ways to engage in anti-racist work right now? Will actions suggested in your posts, such as calling representatives or bailing out jailed protesters, have an impact on the systems that black activists are seeking to dismantle? A tangible impact should be the focus, Mac points out.
Moving forward from what happened on Blackout Tuesday, she also shared this guide:
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2. Contextualize things for friends, family
There’s a simple solution to avoiding performative allyship on social media: You need to actually do something outside of just posting, Richardson notes.
This means taking concrete actions like donating and signing petitions, of course, but, more immediately, this should also include educating those close to you about the information you’re encountering on social media, Mac points out.
It’s likely that some of your loved ones are exposed to a different media diet, which could impact their own opinions about the protests going on right now, according to Richardson. For instance, many Twitter users have voiced frustration that mainstream media outlets are not covering as much information about police-instigated aggression at protests.
Mac maintains that engaging with the project of being an ally means informing those in your immediate circle about the full context of what rebellion has looked like in the United States. She says you might consider directing them to reading material, like this article in the Atlantic, that helps to put the current fight for racial justice in its proper context.
In that piece, for instance, scholar Kellie Carter Jackson explains how violence pervaded even commonly-cited examples of nonviolence, such as the civil rights era. Take the horrific instances of violence against black Americans preceding and during it, and the violent deaths of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X.
"Violence disrupts the status quo and the possibility of returning to business as usual," Carter Jackson writes. "So often the watershed moments of historical record are stamped by violence — it is the engine that propels society along from funerals to fury and from moments to movements."
Situating the current moment within this historical context, Mac notes, will insert some rationality into conversations that might otherwise paint protesters negatively.
Related Video: How to donate to support the Black Lives Matter movement
3. Take note of your emotional response when critiqued
Part of effective allyship rests in how you respond to criticism, Mac notes. It's highly unlikely (OK, impossible) that you'll be perfect in your social media posting right now as a white person or non-black person of color. That’s fine, Mac says, so long as you put in the work to learn from your mistakes.
If others, particularly black friends and followers, critique the way you’ve chosen to post on social media about the protests, Mac suggests moving through the following checklist when you hear or read this critique:
Stop. Don’t reply. Don’t do anything yet.
Close your eyes, and feel where on your body you’re reacting to defensiveness. Is it in your gut? Your chest? Knowing what flares up for you will help you recognize what happens to your body when you're feeling defensive, which will let you acknowledge what's happening should you receive feedback again down the road.
As you look to educate yourself on what went wrong, don't make a public apology right away, and don't look for forgiveness from whoever called you out. Instead, only share information about what's happened after you've done the work to learn something from it. This is way more effective allyship than making a big public apology that's all about you: Now, other allies can learn from your missteps as well. (Richardson adds that this is a great time to share reading material about racial justice with friends and followers.)
At protests
Should you choose to attend a protest as an ally, Mac notes that you should really only be attending those held by black-led organizations actively doing anti-racist work in your area.
They'll be clear in their goals for the protest, and they'll also likely make it obvious what their expectations are for allies. Be prepared to listen to those directions.
As an ally, your focus should be on using your own privilege to ensure the safety of others. If you're financially privileged, you might consider bringing supplies, like water and face masks, to daytime protests. One of the most beneficial things you can do as an ally at a protest, in Mac's telling, is to show up for jail support after, which involves taking shifts where protesters are detained to aid them upon release: It's an especially effective way to use your own privilege to assist those in unsafe situations at the protest.
Additionally, Richardson points out that there are ways to be a good ally in documenting a protest.
Most crucially, she notes you should avoid taking pictures of people's faces — and their shoes. These are some of the easiest ways to identify people, according to Richardson, and sharing pictures of them might put people in harm's way. If you've captured photo or video from a protest that includes faces or shoes, Richardson stresses blurring them out. (Similar advice stands for sharing people's social media handles: Unless people have already identified themselves by posting about their attendance, you're likely putting people in danger by tagging them.)
Moving forward
You might feel as if you've done a lot for racial justice as an ally in the past two weeks. Trust us, it's probably closer to the tip of the iceberg. Educating yourself and others on being anti-racist is a lifelong project.
On a more immediate timeline, Mac suggests focusing on the goals of black-led organizations in your area, such as a Black Lives Matter chapter. For example, are they currently working to defund the police in your city? Well, in that case, being an effective ally might involve calling your city council, or speaking at city council meetings, Mac points out.
"Any issue that is being fought for, there are local black organizations doing that work," Mac said. "The faster you can get connected to them, the more effective you'll be as an ally."
