How to be an active ally
Girlguiding is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We all have a role to play in upholding our values of inclusion, empowerment and caring for others, and continuing to learn, grow and improve. Hannah Dawson, 18-30 Coordinator for North East England, explains what it means to be an ally and how we can all be actively anti-racist, in our guiding lives and beyond
![](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/35410/photo31-for-foleon.bc927d66ba47.jpg?)
Hannah Dawson, 18-30 Coordinator for North East England
Girlguiding is always changing to meet the needs of girls and young women. Now more than ever, we should be using our influence to change and adapt alongside the Black Lives Matter movement. To see this change in action, we need to make individual choices to support all Black people, both in Girlguiding and in our wider lives. Crucially, we need to practise active allyship. There’s a big difference between performative and active allyship. To simply declare your support on social media is performative; the active bit is actually doing something about it. I think the difference between being ‘not racist’ and being ‘anti-racist’ is found in overcoming passivity, making your voice heard and disengaging from institutional racism, which is racial discrimination that’s become a normalised part of our society. There are lots of ways you can act. If you’re white, recognising the privilege that comes with that is a good place to start. White privilege means the world is built on and around your culture, even if you don’t realise it. Everything from the history we’re taught in school to the shampoo we see in shops – it’s all shaped around the white ideal.
![](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/35410/2019_10_05_icando_bmatthews-0072.291044a8aa20.jpg?)
Recognising my own privilege as a white person is something I personally struggled to come to terms with. When I went to uni, I didn’t have much money and I had to work a lot of hours just to be able to afford rent and food. Plus, as a woman, the everyday sexism takes its toll, and it never felt like I was privileged. Yet I’ve never had to worry about someone not being polite to me when I do something mundane like go to the bank, or about being stopped and searched simply because I have my hood up. Another way you can act is to be aware of the media you consume. I’ve been trying to expand what I see, watch and read, for example the television shows and films I’m watching and who I’m following on social media. You can also sign petitions or write to your MP to ask what they’re doing to tackle racism in your constituency. And, crucially, call out racism when you see it. These things can be uncomfortable if you’re not used to doing them, but it’s important that you do. As I embrace the process of becoming an active ally, I have to accept that I’ll make mistakes. The mistakes I’ve previously made have been not standing up and saying something when I should have. I’m quite an anxious person – I don’t like being the centre of attention and I don’t post much on social media. I always felt like it wasn’t my battle; I didn’t want to step into it and say the wrong thing. But that’s a mistake in itself, because I wasn’t amplifying what Black people were already doing – I was just ignoring it. Being able to ignore the news and get on with your life is a privilege in itself. It’s awkward to acknowledge that, but it’s important. We should all want to be on the right side of history. We don’t want to look back and think, why did I go along with that and not say anything at the time? Things won’t change unless we each take action. It’s in the Guide law to be a friend to others, and you can’t do that without standing up against racism. We all promise to serve the community, and that means the community as a whole.
“As I embrace the process of becoming an active ally, I have to accept that I’ll make mistakes”
“Everybody should prioritise this in whatever way they can in their roles and their own lives”
![](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/35410/2019_09_21_fearless_fun_jmary_0049_t5a8891.f2042210785d.jpg?)
5 ways to be an active ally within Girlguiding
1. Educate yourself A lot of people reading this are busy with their jobs and other volunteering roles and might think they don’t have time to educate themselves on the movement. But the longer you take to catch up on it, the longer the biased system will be in place. Everybody should prioritise this in whatever way they can in their roles and their own lives. The resources provided by Girlguiding are a good place to start. Also, don’t assume that it’s the responsibility of Black people or people of colour to help you understand. It can be draining for Black people to keep having to explain the facts, which is why, as a white person, I wanted to take some responsibility and give some advice. Learn more here, specifically the section on enhancing your own knowledge. 2. Ask questions The benefit of Girlguiding being a membership organisation is that even if you’re not in a leadership role, you always have the opportunity to ask questions to your local commissioner, region office or HQ: what are we doing about increasing diversity and inclusion? How are we increasing the diversity of leaders? If you’re discussing new volunteer roles or growth in guiding, talk about how you could reach a more diverse membership. Look at how the roles are being advertised – if they contain only images of white people, what kind of message does that send? As a white person, I don’t want to speak for Black people and people of colour, but I do want to stand up in my all-white team and ask the difficult questions. To help, Girlguiding is carrying out a diversity and inclusion audit. We’re developing our network of inclusion advisors, so everyone should have someone to speak to for advice on these issues. 3. Talk to young members Introduce the topic of race to your unit in an age-appropriate way. It’s never too early to talk about it – studies have shown that by age five, children can show signs of racial bias, such as treating people more favourably than others based on the colour of their skin. These conversations might sometimes feel challenging and uncomfortable, but starting them early will get the girls thinking and help prepare them for working towards racial justice and equality. 4. Squash ‘whataboutism’ One of the big things going around on social media is ‘whataboutism’ – sure, Black lives matter, but what about all lives? This protest is going on, but what about people in other countries who have to deal with x, y or z? To give a guiding example, if we were fundraising for a division trip, we wouldn’t say it’s not worth fundraising for it because of all the other causes that need our attention. In guiding, we can call people out for whataboutism by emphasising that racism is a specific issue that deserves its own attention. 5. Set an example Be a leader and don’t let ‘minor instances’ slip by. If you overhear a girl in your unit say something racially insensitive, instead of glossing over it as you knew she wasn’t saying it deliberately or it hadn’t been said to you directly, choose to openly discuss why it wasn’t an appropriate choice of words. By doing this, it can be a learning moment for the whole unit. It’s not about targeting anyone; it’s necessary to have these open conversations to make sure everyone feels included by addressing topics such as microaggressions, racialised language and ignorance. Take Action, one of our six programme themes, helps girls build the skills to make a positive difference.
![](https://assets.foleon.com/eu-central-1/de-uploads-7e3kk3/35410/2019_10_13_advocates_jdonoghue_20.19cc4ca57b9f.jpg?)
Further reading
Francoise and Amanda, Girlguiding Advocates, speak out in solidarity about the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. A joint statement on Black Lives Matter from our CEO, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chief Guide.
Help other people find out more about active allyship. Use the social media buttons below to share this article with your guiding friends