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decentering_whiteness
document updated 1 year, 10 months ago, on Jun 6, 2022

Don't center white allies

It is an unfortunate pattern that when people want to learn about anti-racism, they often turn to famous white people for advice. Examples of popular white anti-racism speakers are Tim Wise, Robin DiAngelo, Peggy McIntosh, (TODO: more)

The problem is that, while they can be excellent allies, they almost always have their own blind spots [2] because they're not talking from personal experience. They are always going to be passing on second-hand information.

The solution is that white allies should amplify marginalized voices. They should use their power and reach to point to POC content creators who are doing good work, instead of promoting themselves.

What I'm not saying

I'm not saying that POC can never be wrong. I'm not saying it's remotely possible for one person to speak for their entire group.

Nor am I saying that white allies are usually wrong, or that they can't do some really good work.

What I am saying

If you want to learn about disability rights, talk to someone (better yet, multiple people) who is (are) disabled. If you want to learn about trans rights, talk to people who are transgender. Skip the middle-man.