Being An Ally

Being an ally is about disrupting oppressive spaces by educating others on the realities and histories of marginalized people (Indigenous Ally Toolkit ). The initial stage of this ongoing and life-long process is educating ourselves first. Listed below are some resources composed by or done in collaboration with groups facing various forms of oppression in Canada. These can be used as a springboard to learn about Allyship.

Allyship is an intentional process – Allyship is achieved through active, consensual, deliberate and continuous support with the group one is an ally to and not through passive thoughts, choices and lifestyles. Allyship is more than being not racist. “Ally” is not a title that an individual can award to themselves, rather groups resisting oppressions and systemic violence are the ones who recognize their allies. This generally occurs after longstanding, consensual and active demonstrations of solidarity and activism in support of groups that the allies do not personally belong to. Some identities that allies can have are:

• Co-resistor – Being a co-resistor is about standing together, as an ensemble, in resistance against oppressive forces and requires constant learning. It is combining theory and practice by establishing relationships and being deeply involved within a community that informs how one listens critically, understands an issue and influences the way they go about disrupting oppressive institutions and systemic systems (Indigenous Ally Toolkit); or an

• Accomplice – An accomplice works within a system and “directly challenges institutionalized/systemic racism, colonization, and white supremacy by blocking or impeding racist people, policies, and structures” (Indigenous Ally Toolkit).