Anti-racism and allyship are vital, believes Ellie Ikiebe from race equality think tank Runnymede Trust. But contrary to what some might believe, these two approaches are primarily an internal state, rather than an outward display of support.
“Becoming an anti-racist involves a long learning journey. “In order to be anti-something, you need to know what that thing is,” she explains. “So that requires a deep level of understanding and introspection.”
“Meanwhile, being an ally for Black or Brown people involves listening until your voice is needed. “If you don't know something, the urge is to demand that someone teaches you everything at once. But when you enter spaces where Black people are sharing their experiences or describing the structures we’re living in, a good ally is silent and actively listens really deeply.”
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Of course, sometimes you have to speak up, and Ellie adds: “When you find yourself in a space where Black people are intentionally left out, an ally would bring those voices in with resources, podcasts, reports or whatever they may find useful, to widen the reference points of that space.”
One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to be an ally, believes Ellie, is to put on a show of support without being genuine about it.
“For instance, if you feel guilty for not acting you might suddenly want to do something to show you’re anti-racist,” she says. “But once you’ve done it you might just return to how you behaved beforehand.”
She gives the example of blackout Tuesday in June 2020, when social media users changed their profile photos to black squares in protest against racism and police brutality.
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“That was an action where everybody could feel really good about participating, but when it was over they just returned to life as normal. Meanwhile, racism persisted, and people who acutely experience these issues didn’t get a break.”
She also highlights 'saviourism' as a mistake some people make, when people think they can solve racism themselves and speak on behalf of Black or Brown people. To avoid this she recommends: “There is no need to centre yourself in the trauma. An ally just brings lesser-heard voices into spaces where they are absent.”
Although it may sometimes be uncomfortable to go through the deep learning process of becoming an anti-racist ally, it’s a crucial step to take.
“The more you learn about racism, the more you realise that it's in all of our best interests to do away with discrimination of all forms,” she says. “There is just no way in which discrimination benefits anyone in the long run.”
As Ellie explains, this doesn’t mean condemning others who aren’t as far ahead as you in the learning journey. It simply means sharing your knowledge or pointing people towards resources.
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The Runnymede Trust offers a wealth of information to help with this. They run multiple projects to encourage people to become allies through making racist structures more visible. Their recent campaigns include bringing more authors of colour into school English lessons, and opening up different industries to more Black or minority ethnic people.
For more information about the Runnymede Trust, visit runnymedetrust.org.
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