Essay Sample: The Role of Allies in Combatting Racism
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The problem of racism has been addressed on multiple levels – from politics to education and everyday life. People who challenge the system of oppression promoting racism and violence have been working hard to achieve greater equality. Ayvazian (629) calls such people allies and argues that they are powerful change actors who serve as role models for young people and help the privileged population groups reconsider their identities and race-related beliefs and behaviors. In this paper, I discuss Ayvazian’s understanding of allies and argue that a national network of allies working hard every day to challenge the status quo is the key to gradually destroying the system of oppression and building a more equal and just society.
The Definition of Ally
As defined by Ayvazian, an ally is a person belonging to a dominant social group (e.g., white, male, without physical disabilities, etc.), “who works to dismantle any form of oppression from which she or he receives the benefit” (629). Notably, Ayvazian’s understanding of racism is consistent with that of Rothenberg (100) as the latter also emphasized that racism is “a system of advantages based on race.” For Ayvazian, being an ally means taking personal responsibility for the injustice and oppression around and, instead of hoping that others will address it, actively engaging in advocacy and communication to eliminate any forms of discrimination and inequality. An ally empowers those affected by oppression by speaking up for them and trying to raise the dominant groups’ awareness of their position (Ayvazian 630). Being an ally is something that everyone can do, which allows suggesting that Ayvazian’s model is universal and easy to implement. It does not require some special knowledge, educational background, or political influence. All that is needed is the strong desire to stand up to oppression, to help people having no voice, and being bold enough to risk one’s privileged position in favor of justice and equality (Ayvazian 630).
Furthermore, Ayvazian discussed some additional benefits of being an ally. According to the scholar, a national network of allies possesses an impressive power and influence because by reducing oppression and discrimination, it can subsequently reduce violence (Ayvazian 631). Violence is caused by persistent inequality between groups (e.g., whites/blacks, men/women, heterosexuals/LGBT, etc.), so it can be eliminated if this inequality is addressed effectively. More importantly, Ayvazian (632) maintained that allies can be excellent role models for young people, as they help them reconsider their identity and social position and show them the path towards more meaningful participation in community life. The scholar noted that while many young people know numerous examples of racists, they struggle to name at least one famous antiracist person, which perfectly demonstrates the lack of positive role models for them to follow (Ayvazian 632). The author added that the role of an ally is a challenging one and requires much persistence, resilience, and self-reflection. However, even small steps would make a huge difference is they are made by many people.
Antiracism as a Political and Social Practice
There is considerable confusion about how antiracism should be defined and what policies and practices are associated with this political practice (Detant 183). The simplest definition of antiracism characterizes this practice as a set of beliefs, values, ideas, and practices that oppose racism. It is also a form of persistent, focused, and conscious effort to change the way race is used as a justification for oppression. Antiracism “critiques whiteness and its rationality for dominance” and stresses the importance of educating the public about the “enormity of white privilege” and the necessity of achieving equality when it comes to race (Howard and Dei 17). By its very nature, antiracism requires new structures, new social arrangements, and new institutions, as racism cannot be combatted by preserving the core power structures that sustain it (Dei and Johal 135). This latter idea is consistent with Brodkin’s (28) description of the institutional nature of racism and its deep-seated roots in the American society.
Antiracism can be manifested differently. It can be proclaimed as a political policy and advocated for on the highest political levels. For example, one may call President Obama an antiracist since his policies aimed towards establishing a color-blind, equal society and uplift Americans irrespectively of their racial background (Lawson parag. 1). However, as argued by Reed (110), political antiracism often proves to be ineffective because it targets some abstract goals and problems and is rarely interested in “egalitarian redistribution.” Antiracism can also be promoted on the public level by prominent figures in sports, business, art, education, and so on. Take, for example, Lester Rodney who advocated for the elimination of racism in sport or Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz – a famous political activist known for her antiracist work and writings on economic justice. Musicians can also promote antiracist ideas through their music. Take, for example, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ song White Privilege II in which musicians stand up against the police violence against African Americans or Black Eyed Peas’ song Where Is the Love?, which touches upon the issues of racism. Notably, all these examples of antiracist activism, except for Obama’s policies, comply with Ayvazian’s definition of an ally as they illustrate how white, privileged people can speak up against the system of oppression.
Finally, there is another level of antiracism, which implies the consistent, everyday advocacy. I interviewed a person who I think is the perfect example of this type of antiracism advocates and who also meets all Ayvazian’s requirements for an ally. Margaret Cross is a social worker and education in my community. She is a white, middle-aged woman with higher education and a stable job. Throughout her career, she has been actively fighting against the system of oppression by educating children and adults about the hidden forms of racism and their effect on the community development. When I asked her about whether she perceives herself as an ally, she noted, “I simply teach other white to stand up to racism.” To me, her remark is the most convincing proof of her allied behavior.
According to Rothenberg (xv), racism operates “on a deeply personal, everyday level of experience,” which supports the idea that allies should be present in each community and help people on the daily level. Political advocacy and antiracist policies are, obviously, valuable and much needed, but they would not produce the desired effect if people fail to embrace them and live them out every day in inter-racial communication and interaction. Moreover, one needs to stress that allies are needed to raise awareness because, according to Tatum (105), there are people who are convinced that racism is a thing of a past. They live in a different reality and have no idea about the pervasive and persistent oppression experienced by racial minorities (Bonilla-Silva 114). The role of the allies is to open their eyes to the system of oppression and help them reconsider their attitudes to race. As noted by Margaret Cross in this relation, “Many of us simply need to be guided and educated to be more aware of racism and become empowered to fight against it.”
Conclusion
Ayvazian’s conceptualization of ally can be applied to any social problem including racism, gender discrimination, ableism, and so on. In this paper, I focused on the most pervasive, appalling, and humiliating problem of racism and the political and social response to it. Ayvazian describes allies as people who choose to fight oppression by raising awareness and helping others to reconsider their perceptions of race and privilege. Such allies may work on any level, but the key to success is to ensure that as many common people as possible embrace antiracism. Positive role models encountered in daily life can make a change much more sustained and significant than politicians and famous activists can because they are fully immersed in the experience and can affect people’s attitudes on a deeply personal level.
Works Cited
Ayvazian, Andrea. “Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg, Worth Publishers, 2016, pp.629-635.
Bonilla-Silva. “Color-Blind Racism.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg, Worth Publishers, 2016, pp. 113-119.
Brodkin, Karen. “How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg, Worth Publishers, 2016, pp. 27-35.
Dei, George Jerry Sefa, and Gurpreet Singh Johal. Critical Issues in Anti-racist Research Methodologies. Peter Lang, 2005.
Detant, Anja. “The Politics of Anti-Racism in Belgium: A Qualitative Analysis of the Discourse of the Anti-Racist Movement Hand in Hand in the 1990s.” Ethnicities, vol. 5, no. 2, June 2005, pp. 183–215, doi:10.1177/146879680505211
Howard, Philip S.S., and George J. Sefa Dei. Crash Politics and Antiracism: Interrogations of Liberal Race Discourse. Peter Lang, 2008.
Lawson, Bill E. “Of President Barack H. Obama and Others.” European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy, vol. III, no. 2, 2011, https://journals.openedition.org/ejpap/825.
Reed, Adolph. “Antiracism: A Neoliberal Alternative to a Left.” Dialectical Anthropology, vol. 42, no. 2, 2018, pp. 105–115.
Rothenberg, Paula S. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Worth Publishers, 2016.
Tatum, Beverly Daniel. “Defining Racism.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg, Worth Publishers, 2016, pp. 105-112.