allyship is hard.
And it’ll probably be hard for your entire allyship journey.
Jared Karol, longtime ally and inclusion advocate says it bluntly, acknowledging that sometimes, people will try to discourage you from being an ally:
The 4 zones of allyship.
We’ve broken allyship down into 4 progressive zones: Comfort, Fear, Learning, and Growth.
Each zone is associated with a different set of learning topics, self-reflections, and actions you can do to help solidify your allyship.
As we’ve talked about, allyship is a journey, and everyone has to start somewhere. Our 4 phases are progressive and will require a real commitment from you, both in time and effort. Allyship doesn’t happen over night, it will definitely be frustrating, and you will probably find yourself swallowing your ego at some time or another.
The comfort zone.
ground-zero-nowhere-else-to-go-but-up.
This is the starting point in your journey towards anti-racism.
You’ve got a lot to learn in terms of allyship, white privilege, empathy, and understanding the full impact that racism has on Black people. We’ll cover some important topics, give you some space to reflect, introduce experiences and theories, and challenge you to set some goals.
It will probably be uncomfortable, and you might feel defensive, but that’s all part of growth. In this zone, you will need to be aware of your ego, understand things from other people’s perspectives, and learn about how you as a white person have personally have been contributing to racism.
the fear zone.
This zone is uncomfortable, to say the least.
Get ready to challenge your beliefs, norms, behaviors, and actions. You may be someone who has posted pictures or quotes on your Instagram, but find it hard to speak up when racist behaviors are happening in front of you. We’ll help you build your confidence and break down your walls, all in the name of allyship.
In this zone, we will talk about what it actually means to be an ally, and do some more work on yourself.
The learning zone .
focusing on behavioral change within yourself.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Being able to actively listen to others, change your ideals, and be confident in your journey happens in this zone. We’ll challenge you to be open to new avenues of information, to different perspectives, and to stand up for what is right.
It’s ok to change your opinions – that’s a sign of growth.
Growth zone.
your allyship journey never ends
Even though you’re an ally through and through, you can always continue to improve. Whether it means that you will be organizing events, helping people along their own allyship journeys, or you’re marching in the streets, we can all continue to push our ally boundaries.
