Actions Our White Allies Can Do Today

Equity Alliance MN has been dedicated to achieving educational equity for the past 25 years. Over the past week, we have been contacted by many to support work within our community and districts because they know, this is the work we do.

In reaching out to teachers and educators of color in Minnesota, we asked them, “What are actions our white allies can do right now?” Below are just a few of the responses we got. We will continue to reach out and share these with you. We know the importance of listening to and understanding those with lived experiences as an African American to inform our work.

What action will you take today?

Reflection

• Understand the nature of protest in the Black experience. This protest is not a singular or isolated incident. It is a collective response to an accumulation of harm inflicted on Black people in the United States by leaders of public institutions.
• Understand the definition of White Supremacy, Anti-Blackness, and Systemic Racism.
• Understand that White silence is violence toward Black people. Looking the other way or benign neglect has consequences. Harm occurs when people deny that everyday racial violence exists, refuse to acknowledge everyday racial violence, and fail prevent everyday racial violence. The small things add up.
• Understand that the work to be an Anti-Racist is a lifelong commitment that requires courage, stamina and a rightly guided love for humankind.
• Understand that many White people and Black people in the United States have not yet come to know one another as fellow Americans. We are strangers to each other when we need to be trusted friends. These protests reveal the hearts and convictions of Black and White Americans and, as such, provide a glimmer of hope that such friendship is possible.

Redistribution of Resources

This means being willing to give up unearned resources, power and the privilege that one currently has.

Listen and Learn

Listen to what your Black students, your Black families, your Black colleagues and your Black neighbors need, not just in the interim, but in the future as well. Take the time to learn about Black history and narratives written by Black people.

Be Accountable

Be willing to hold yourself and others accountable and responsible for creating radical change in your community and nation. Hold family members, elected officials, colleagues and friends accountable. Hold your school district and local business accountable for hiring and promoting Black people in organizations. Be willing to address the fact that Minnesota has some of the worst statistical progress measurements in the nation.

Make Change Happen

Create a district committee comprised of community partners to review equitable practices, procedures and reports of racial discrimination. Have intentional focus on hiring Black educators and staff. Provide training for staff and spaces for dialogue around racism, oppression, implicit bias and discrimination.

Start taking action! Educational reform should not happen at a snail’s pace. Our children’s future and lives are at stake.

What action will you take today?