Allyship is the practice of emphasising social justice, inclusion, and human rights by members of an ingroup, to advance the interests of an oppressed or marginalised outgroup.
Being an ally takes work, it takes practice - it is not a tick box exercise. Remember, practising allyship doesn’t reasonably mean you fully understand what it feels like to be oppressed.
Here are 3 ways you can practise allyship:
Educate yourself - learn about systems of oppression and how the misuse of power and privilege can impact marginalised people.
Listen, Learn and Amplify - take the opportunity to listen, take initiative to learn and use your influence and privilege to amplify marginalised voices. It’s not only your voice that can inspire change. Our read watch listen channel on slack is great for this.
Take action - tackling systemic inequity requires action. You have the power to influence your environment and your networks. Consider what action you could take to put your allyship into action. Perhaps speaking up in a meeting when you notice something isn’t right, writing to your MP or sharing knowledge you have with others, there are lots of different ways you can take action.