Is Your Organization’s Statement at Risk of Performative Allyship?
Photo by Scott Graham via Unsplash
As an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) consultant, a mother, and a Canadian, the last few weeks have been difficult to process. The unmarked graves of 215 Indigenous children were uncovered on the grounds of a former residential school in British Columbia and, following that, there was a terrorist attack against a Muslim family in London, Ontario. In the last few weeks, I have seen organizations post statements of condemnation and solidarity that might be considered performative allyship.
You may be wondering what exactly is meant by that term? Performative allyship is aligning with a cause without addressing internal racism and oppression. None of the statements I have seen spoke to how the organization is addressing its own internal workplace racism and oppression, such as:
anti-bias training to address anti-Indigenous racism and Islamophobia; and,
revising human resource, leadership and governance policies to create a more equitable and inclusive organization.
So what can your organization do to avoid performative allyship in the future? Here are a few practical suggestions.
STEP 1) Build a relationship with the community. If your organization is planning to issue a statement you may want to first consult the affected community. If you are a non-profit or public organization working with marginalized communities you may want to deepen that relationship and ask the affected community how they would like you to respond, if at all. If you are in the private sector and have customers from marginalized communities, consult your employee resource group and/or build a relationship with representative organizations (e.g. associations, community organizations, places of worship, etc.) and ask them how they would like you to respond, if at all. Marginalized communities know what they want and through this approach you can offer to be their platform.
STEP 2) Identify actions your organization is taking to combat racism and oppression. If your organization has consulted with the affected community(ies) and decides to issue a statement, you may want to describe the actions your organization is taking to combat internal racism and oppression. For example, you may want to share that your organization is conducting or has done an organizational equity, diversity and inclusion review, and/or an employment-systems review, and/or training with staff. Describe how your organization is implementing the recommendations from the reviews and training. If your organization has not done anything yet, it’s never too late. Discuss where you would like to start (see my post ‘Where do I start with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion?’) and note in your statement the initiatives your organization will be undertaking to combat racism and oppression in the workplace.
These are just a few strategies and tips. I hope this has been helpful. Have questions? Reach out, comment on the post on LinkedIn or book a call. We would love to hear from you!