Embracing Imperfect Allyship - Jump Start Your Joy

This week’s episode is about how we can embrace anti-racism. I will share some of the recommendations that I have and thoughts that I have on anti-racism and what we can do better. And then I will also share some action steps that you can take if you’re wanting to make change in your own life.

I didn’t want to jump into a next episode after taking a break and act like nothing had changed after the murder of George Floyd. Seeing the reality of race and racism in our country and the world has had a profound effect on so many of us. As a white person that wants to show up in imperfect allyship, I really want to and need to speak to it as well.

I want to make it clear upfront that I’m speaking to the white people in my audience. This is me speaking up about racism and that’s from the white, middle class, CIS gendered, college educated lens. I can’t speak for the Black experience in the United States or anywhere, and it’s not appropriate for me to do that. If you’re white, let’s talk because it’s past time.

Let’s look at how we can use inspiration, intention and action with Imperfect Allyship

Inspiration

Inspiration is when we are “in spirit” or “inspired” and when we feel deeply moved or touched or like we can’t ignore something any longer. So if you’ve been moved or touched outraged, brought to tears by the death of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor and other Blacks: Inspiration here is saying don’t let it stop with your emotion and your outrage and your anger and your sadness.

Intention

Moving into the intention part of the process: What I want for myself (and what I hope that you do as well) is to set an intention to do things differently. I’m going to set the intention to watch where I see racism come up and dismantle it in the ways that I can.

Action

The third, and most important piece of this process is to take the action to do better (not just be inspired to do better or just intend to do better), but take the action to do better. And that’s what I’m hoping you will hear and take from this episode: that it’s not just the inspiration of being outraged and angered, and it’s not just the intention of wishing things were better, but it’s that it’s actually taking those steps to make a difference in a world and use your privilege for good. Action is key to imperfect ally-ship.

Here are the actions I will embrace (to begin):

1. Show up in “imperfect ally-ship”
Learn more about this from Erica Cordea at Pause on the Play or tune into Erica on Amy Porterfield’s Online Marketing Made Easy podcast.

2. Keep working, and doing the work, while acknowledging that “The line of progress is never straight.”
You can read more about this, which is in Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Where do we go from here?”

3. Be mindful of intent AND Impact
Jamie Utt talks about this on Everyday Feminism

4. Provide feedback to other allies in a way that the person can hear it.
When sharing feedback with other white allies; insight from Kathryn Britton in Positive Psychology News.

5. Honor that “the hidden work is the heart work is the hard work.” Doing the work doesn’t need to be done real-time or publicly. Doing the work means I will share learnings and resources.
Read about this quote from Ashlee Eiland on Instagram.