Reflections on "Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture" by Amber Cabral

In this month's edition of the Diversity Be Like Book Club, we will be discussing Amber Cabral's book Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture. In this book, the author explains what an ally is and some practical ways of being an ally to those in the margins of society. Here are my top takeaways from the book.

Definition of an Ally

The author defines an ally as someone with privilege and power seeks to learn about the experiences of a marginalized group of people, has empathy for them, and identifies ways to use their own power and privilege to help the marginalized group. In other words, a person that uses their privilege for the benefit of marginalized groups. A couple of things that are interesting about this definition, when you think about it, most of us have a privilege in some area in our lives. I may be a racial minority, but I still enjoy privilege in other areas like gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, etc. As such, I can become an ally to those who are marginalized in those areas.

Things to Keep in Mind as an Ally

-Being an Ally Requires Pushing Past Your Comfort Zone

The author makes the point in the book that being an ally is more than posting an occasional line on social media, but continually engaging in the work of addressing inequity. It requires an active, not passive, role in addressing the inequity in these fields. In other words, instead of being neutral on subjects like race, you are anti-racist, which means that you are actively seeking to end systemic racism, along with all the other -isms. This active role will many times push you beyond your comfort zone, which is why you must keep in mind that if this work was easy, everyone would do it. Also, keep in mind that those who are in marginalized groups are regularly pushed past their comfort zones.

-You Will Make Mistakes, but Don't Let Them Weaken Your Commitment of Being an Ally

One of the other points that the author drilled home, was that it wasn't a matter if you would make a mistake, but it was just a matter of when. She noted how mistakes are inevitable and even after teaching on the subject of being a good ally, she still makes mistakes in doing so in her personal life. However, she notes that such mistakes aren't worthy of losing your cool over, and should mainly be used as a learning lesson to be improved upon in the future.

Conclusion

Overall, I thought the book was well written and gave very practical ways to become an ally for those who are marginalized in some ways. I highly suggest the book for those who are wondering what they can do to help address the many inequities in our society.