Learnings from Unsettling Webinar 2: Engaging in Solidarity Work as a White Settler
What does it mean to be an ally or engage in allyship? As a white settler, I am particularly cognizant of the prevalence of performative allyship – a form of virtue signaling where a person with privilege professes solidarity with a marginalized group in ways that are not helpful or further perpetuate harm. Avoiding performative allyship, how can white settlers engage in allyship with Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) that is truly supportive?
To gain insight into these questions, Marlo Turner Ritchie was invited to speak about white allyship for the second installment of the Unsettling Webinar Series, a three-part event organized and hosted by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, faculty and staff from Concordia University, and members of the Montreal community.
The goal of the Unsettling Webinar Series is to create a new body of culture – one that is actively engaged in anti-racism work, self-reflection and action. Employing a conversational and storytelling style, the series’ hosts, Vicky Boldo, Nahka Bertrand and Emma Kroeker, skillfully guided Marlo in an honest and transparent conversation about her experience as a white settler actively engaged in solidarity work.
To listen to the full discussion, which connects Marlo’s activism to her upbringing in Okanagan, B.C., including the elders who inspired her and the insight she’s gathered along the way, click here.
If you’re not able to listen to the full conversation, below is a list of three key take-aways for white settlers engaging in solidarity work:
1. Be mindful of what you’re striving for – Working in solidarity vs. Being an ally. The goal is not to be able to call yourself an ally – that’s performative and problematic. Allyship is a daily practice, not a fixed state, and therefore cannot be achieved. For more on this, listen to the On Being podcast, with guests Robin D’Angelo and Resmaa Menakem.
2. Build trusting relationships by offering time and resources. Take cues from Indigenous leadership and use this approach: What do you need and how can I support you? As Marlo stated in the webinar, “Indigenous People will lead the way to healing and reparation, but white settler folk need to cut down the brush around the path.”
3. Stay curious, the learning is never ending. Attend Indigenous events, listen to Indigenous music and read Indigenous authors. Amplify BIPOC content by sharing it widely. Marlo mentioned that she had recently watched We Were Children, a 2012 documentary detailing the experiences of two children in the Canadian government’s residential school system. For more ideas on how to stay curious, check out this Resource List.[1]
The final installment of the Unsettling Webinar Series is on September 30th, 2020 from 7:00 to 8:30 EDT. To register for a free ticket, click here.
Top left to right: Emma Kroeker and Nakha Bertrand. Bottom left to right: Marlo Turner Ritchie and Vicky Boldo.
Top left to right: Emma Kroeker and Nakha Bertrand. Bottom left to right: Marlo Turner Ritchie and Vicky Boldo.
[1] Organized by: Vicky Boldo, Nahka Bertrand, Warren Linds, Tim Harbinson, Emma Kroeker, Sarah Paul and Faye Siluk
This post was written from Tio’tia:ke/Montréal, the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Kanien'keha:ka and Anishinaabe Peoples. Tio’tia:ke is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations and today it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples.