“This system is so ingrained into our culture that we don’t even realize how often we are perpetuating the harm that we think we are actively trying to undo,” says Bynum McLaughlin.
“It is unintentional, which is why white people who are working to be allies have to constantly be learning, listening, and decentering their own whiteness. If white people are the ones deciding what the most important allyship steps are instead of listening and acting on the feedback provided by women of color, the system is already set up to fail.”
The most important thing we can do for them is create the space for them to be comfortable being freely themselves. Let’s support them by showing up to their events, volunteering, educating ourselves, or simply listening to them without invalidating their experiences. This can help them more than we can understand or imagine.
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