Advocacy & Allyship
DEFINITIONS
Ally/Advocate
Inclusion
• Any person who supports,
empowers, or stands up for
another person or group of
people.
• Taking a stance against
discrimination and prejudice
Intentionally building a
community in which each
individual is recognized, has
access and participates and
belongs as a valued member.
A Note from Peggy McIntosh
(Senior Research Scientist of the Wellesley Centers for Women, founder of the National SEED
Project [Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity])
My work is not about blame, shame,
guilt, or whether one is a "nice person."
It's about observing, realizing, thinking
systemically and personally. It is about
seeing privilege, the "up-side" of
oppression and discrimination. It is
about unearned advantage, which can
also be described as exemption from
discrimination.
A Note from Peggy McIntosh
(Senior Research Scientist of the Wellesley Centers for Women, founder of the
National SEED Project [Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity])
Some people "get" the idea of
systemic privilege and ask "But what
can I do?" My answer is, you can
use unearned advantage to weaken
systems of unearned advantage. I
see white privilege as a bank
account that I did not ask for, but that
I can choose to spend. People with
privilege have far more power than
we have been taught to realize,
within the myth of meritocracy.
ADVOCACY: “A Trip to the Grocery Store”
HOW TO BE AN
ALLY/ADVOCATE
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Pay attention
Intervene
Speak up
Take initiative
Volunteer for ally and advocacy
work
Lobby
Campaign
Protest
Organize
• Recognize and act against both the
external and internalized forms of
oppression and privilege.
HOW TO BE AN
ALLY/ADVOCATE
• Try to understand how the other person feels
• Learn about other cultures and histories of
marginalized communities
• Make friends with people from other groups
• Take a stand as a person of privilege
• Help bring isolated or marginalized groups
into the center
• Promote leadership opportunities for people
who traditionally don’t occupy leadership
roles
• Train others to become allies/advocates
• Listen
• Respect spaces designated for equity-seeking
groups.
BREAKOUT GROUPS:
Allyship/Advocacy
• How is allyship related to student success?
• What impact can advocacy have on individuals and
communities?
• Have you ever been supported by an ally?
COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES
*What do all of these videos have in common?
*What have you learned about yourself?
*What have you learned about certain communities?
“SAVIOR” VS.
“ALLY”
• A savior is defined as “a person who saves,
rescues, or delivers.” The “savior” can be seen
as the person who goes to underprivileged
communities to “help” and are trying to “save”
the people there.
• An ally is defined as “a person, group, or nation
that is associated with another or others for
some common cause or purpose; a person who
associates or cooperates with another;
supporter.”