One of the most beneficial outcomes from the Making Sense of Allyship sessions has been crowdsourcing resources to deepen our own understanding and do our own work – a key component for becoming an effective ally – whichever type of ally you choose to be.
Of course, this is not a definitive nor exhaustive list – it’s a starting point for those of you earlier in your allyship journey, collated from a range of recommendations and signposts. The idea is that it will help you on your educational and curious investigations into the issues surrounding prejudice, hate, discrimination, allyship, implications on and impact of workplace cultures, and overcoming personal barriers to having difficult conversations.
The disclaimer here is as expected – I haven’t read, watched or listened to everything on this list; there’s been an overwhelming amount of contribution, and I’m getting through some of these materials myself. The exception is the YouTube playlists because… I’m trying to complete YouTube.
If you’d like to populate your own search histories and curate your own learning experiences, I can point you in these directions… with special thanks to those who contributed! As you collect your own resources, support those content creators, educators, causes, and charities that you come across in a way that you are able. Elevate their voices; like, subscribe and share their content; work, collaborate or volunteer with them; donate and/or buy from them where you are able.
Allyship, not saviourship
BLOG POST: So You Want To Be An Ally to Black People? Let’s Talk About It
BLOG POST: My white friend asked my opinion on white privilege
BLOG POST: 100 Ways White People Can Make Life Less Frustrating For People of Color
RESOURCE: The Guide To Allyship is an open-source guide if you want to contribute.
Performative allyship and tokenism
ARTICLE: ‘Tokenism: The Result of Diversity Without Inclusion‘ in Medium.
ARTICLE: ‘How to Avoid Inspiration Porn’ in Forbes
Exploring Privilege
ARTICLE: Teaching Tolerance has a magazine feature on “What is White Privilege, Really?”
Stories and Experiences
MOVEMENT: If you ever get the chance to attend or run a Human Library event – do it! The training I got to facilitate these events was the very start of my own journey.
Understanding Intersectionality
POST: ‘Yellow Fever: cure needed, say Asian victims of sex prejudice’ in This Week in Asia explores the colonialist roots of the fetishisation and exotification of Asian females.
Understanding prejudice
POST: Psychology Today explores this in their article, “Understanding Prejudice, Stereotypes, and Racism.”
ARTICLE: Words Matter, And It’s Time To Explore The Meaning Of “Ableism.” by Andrew Pulrang, Forbes, 2020
ARTICLE: “They never go off the rails like other ethnic groups’: teachers’ constructions of British Chinese pupils’ gender identities and approaches to learning” (Louise Archer and Becky Francis, 2005)
FILM: Whatever your thoughts are on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther (2018) grapples with many themes around race, identity and the impact of slavery and colonisation. The Take does a relatively good exploration of the symbolism in this film.
Myth-busting and further learning
BOOKS: My GoodReads Allyship Resources Bookshelf
PODCAST PLAYLIST: Here is a Spotify playlist that I’ve put together of episodes that I think you might find helpful. This is a list of individual episodes, rather than podcasts to follow – so again, just a starting point – if there is an episode that fits with you, give them a follow!
POST: More resources and recommendations by my friends at Cultura Obscura
POST: Complex has compiled a list of “The Best Social Justice Movies and Documentaries.”
POST: Online Universities.com also have a list of “Fantastic Films for Teaching Social Justice”
POST: Mental Health Foundation: The mental health of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities
Finally, suppose you want to continue having the conversation. In that case, you can follow me on social media, drop me an email to join my allyship network and/or arrange a call on how I might be able to help promote and ingrain allyship into your personal or professional lives.
Good luck with your own education and actions
Lou
Lou Chiu Coaching and Consultancy 