by Sov A
It's controversial. I know. It almost sounds divisive, but this is far from that. This question is about provoking thought, empowering minds and critiquing the fight for justice from all angles.
When I consider the recent events following George Floyd's death, and I expound that with years of insecurity, deemed inferiority, and structural discrimination against black people; it simply isn't always helpful to ingrain the belief that ‘we cannot fight injustice without "white allies". Don't get me wrong; I understand the need for everyone, as a human race, to fight for justice and fairness. However, sometimes I think it is damaging to our self-esteem and self-worth to promote this idea that we need white people to save us.
Let’s think about it, from slavery to colonialism to asylum seeking today; at the heart of the race issue is the intrinsic idea that whiteness provides supreme "betterness". They have economic, social and financial leverage over the uneducated and tribal black race. We have needed them to save us from ourselves, to Christianise us, modernise us and civilise us. The implication is black people could never do it without white help. We are now re-creating this dynamic through 'allyship', it is definitely at the forefront of the black plight in the corporate space. It's not the fact that we want allies or indeed may need them, but it's how we are going about getting them that troubles me.
All over social media, we have people begging celebrities and corporations to make statements, through guilt shaming and fear-mongering. I know for certain; this type of behaviour is happening in many institutions. Hence the reactive nature of a lot of action we are seeing now.
Some of us have had to deal with difficult careers for years, surely an executive can be uncomfortable for 30 minutes, why so much praise?
When we talk to white people about our struggle, sometimes we care about their needs more than ours. We capitulate and perform. We compliment them for the simple recognition of the black struggle and thank them for listening. I can't count the number of panel discussions I've seen on LinkedIn where the white host is commended for their bravery and willingness to have a difficult conversation, while the black colleagues or volunteers are just about acknowledged for playing a role. Some of us have had to deal with difficult careers for years, surely an executive can be uncomfortable for 30 minutes, why so much praise?
At this time, we can no longer tolerate lip service and fancy footing around the issue: we need action. The people that face the problem, the victims of the injustice need to demand change. Allies who believe in true justice will naturally fall in line and support a just and honest cause. When we address issues with our white counterparts, we should ensure our cause is at the forefront and we are dealing with them as a resource for transformation and not sympathy. I am simply saying that we (as black people) need to address our needs first and prioritise them to ensure this does not just become a massive PR exercise. Let us not let white guilt further gloss over the issue. Sorry, this is not about you Graham and how you have been so terribly ignorant. It's about structure. A structure you have benefited from and if we are honest our cause disrupts system that works for you.
A business case! A financial argument to just do the right thing? I felt completely demoralised, stupid and embarrassed.
Allies historically are drawn together with some sort of mutual benefit. Let us take the first world war. Britain needed France and France needed Britain. They had a common goal. To ensure the expanding presence of Germany in the western world was quelled. They could fight the cause feverently because they believed in it and understood it and were essential victims of Germanic success.
Begging for help is dangerous. It has the same dangerous tenets as 'positive discrimination'. We will end up questioning how we got here, what we did to achieve it and who we owe the success to. You invalidate yourself and that impacts your self-esteem. It puts us in an inferior position and steeps us deeper into our victimhood.
I remember a callous meeting I had with a white senior director about improving black lives at my place of work and after pleading my case regarding inequality and injustice, he asked me to create a business case. A business case! A financial argument to just do the right thing? I felt completely demoralised, stupid and embarrassed. I’m sure right now said director considers himself an ally. If I was more empowered and understood him to be a resource, I would have been more persuasive and firm in my demands. I must note that I have had great experiences with white allies and sponsors too, who have helped me in my careers, and have also given me the reigns to support others.
We don't need white allies or white saviours we need world allies.
My final thought is this, as black people, let’s stop the strong focus on allies, let’s stop focussing on everyone else's comfort. Instead, let’s focus on ourselves. Find out the problems from within the black community and make a concerted effort to present them as demands in your institutions. We don't need white allies or white saviours; we need world allies. Seeing the world rise in protest from the US to the UK to France to Holland to fight against racism and discrimination signifies a lot. We don't need to force white people to fight for justice, it comes naturally to those who care. We don’t need to worry about white people’s comfortability as we have been very uncomfortable as a people for far too long.`2WA
The Curve is a platform created by 3 black working professionals with unconventional stories and backgrounds. Our aim is to empower people by sharing our experiences, our stories and facilitating real and diverse discussions.
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