Allyship Tips | September 2024, Vol 1
Building a community requires a willingness to learn about things you don’t know. These tips are meant to give practical ways to practice allyship & actively support inclusion & belonging.
UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE
The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino/Latina/Latinx” are not interchangeable: Spanish is a gendered language, so “Latino” and “Latina” are common, while “Latinx” has been adopted as a gender-neutral or nonbinary identifier. You may also hear the terms “Chicano” or “Chicana” from descendants from Mexico. Additionally, many people identify directly with their own or their ancestors’ country of origin. For example, the contributor of this tip identifies as Caribbean Latina. Part of supporting Hispanic or Latine heritage is braving the discomfort to ask people what term or identity they prefer.
DO SOMETHING IMPACTFUL FOR HERITAGE MONTHS
September also brings us National Hispanic Heritage Month, starting on the 15th. Its focus is celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
If your organization is planning an event (or more) to honor and celebrate Hispanic culture, consider this advice from Daisy Auger-Domínguez. In her book Inclusion Revolution, she wrote, “Some diversity advocates use the calendar as a way to make inclusion sustainable in the form of Black, Hispanic, and Asian heritage months, Pride month, women’s history month, and so on.” She went on to emphasize the importance of being both tasteful and sensitive. “Having Taco Tuesday during Hispanic Heritage Month is one big eye roll.”
Auger-Domínguez urges us to do something impactful. For example, hold a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to add entries and update information for people who are part of the demographic you’re celebrating. As she pointed out, you can “literally change the narrative of history.”
DON’T PRE-APOLOGIZE
On Threads, artist Kira MagCalen recently posted: “A habit I am trying to break is the pre-apology. You see pre-apologies a lot when well intentioned people try to adapt allyship roles; an easy example would be, ‘Thank you for telling me your pronouns, I’m sorry if I mess them up sometimes.’
“Lately I’ve been thinking, maybe just make the mistake, get corrected, let yourself feel a little guilty for messing up. That discomfort is probably going to do more to influence your behavior going forward. If you pre-apologize, you’re also taking away the other person’s right to be upset over something that may bother them. The ideal is actually to make the mistake and work together to understand one another.”
I’ve also heard pre-apologies for things like pronouncing someone’s name. “I’m probably going to butcher your name, so my apologies in advance.” Instead of assuming we might get something wrong, let’s all put in the effort to get things right. And if we mess up, let’s correct ourselves and pledge to do better.
DIVERSIFY YOUR NETWORK
Having a diverse network is a foundation for being a better ally. Yet, many of us have primarily homogenous professional networks. Let’s face it. Talking among ourselves creates an echo chamber effect and limits our access to other perspectives, experiences, and resources. Networking with people who share our same gender identities, ethnicities, educational backgrounds, and income brackets, for example, allows us to learn from each other, vent, and swap stories. Still, it doesn’t help us understand how people with different and more marginalized identities than us experience the workplace.
Here’s a small but significant step to diversify and expand your network: At professional events or in the cafeteria at work, introduce yourself to someone who seems different from you. (While not all differences are visible, many are.) If you’re uncomfortable doing so, consider starting the conversation with a friendly “Hello. I don’t think we’ve met before. My name is X.” Then, ask, “What’s on your mind today?” It’s a great question to kick-start any conversation. (This suggestion comes from The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier.)
List curated and adapted from Karen Catlin’s “Better Allies blog”