What Can You Do To Be An Anti-Racism Ally In Your Workplace?
Most of us in this movement share a deep commitment to ending all forms of oppression, and we understand that all forms of oppression are interconnected. We cannot fight against only one form of oppression, we must fight against all forms of oppression. Our work cannot be ‘single issue’ if we hope to make change for animals at a societal level.
“There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”
Audre Lorde
That said, as an individual employee, it can be frustrating to know what to do when the ultimate responsibility for anti-racist, diversity, equity, and inclusion work in our organizations rests with leadership, and more specifically, with the board of directors (another blog on this topic coming soon).
The good news is that there is a lot that we, as individual employees can and must do!
Together with support from a few wonderful friends, below you will find a list of actions that we as white activists can do every day to help create a more equitable movement, and, importantly, this is our work to do, as white activists. This is not the work of BIPGM activists.
Here are some ideas of things that white activists can do, and I would be very grateful for any of you to share more ideas and add them in the comments section of this blog.
Do not participate in conferences that are led by people known to have racist views or who are not allies to the BIPGM Community.
Fund groups that are led by ED’s of the BIPGM Community.
Support BIPGM led vegan businesses.
Offer speaker invitations we receive to ‘healthy conferences’ to members of the BIPGM Community.
Attend events and conferences about BIPGM oppression such as the White Privilege Conference which is taking place virtually this year from April 7 - 10, 2021. I attended this conference in person in 2019 and I learned so much!
If you are in a position to influence decisions regarding hiring and promotions at your organization, seek to hire and promote BIPGM employees.
Support, nurture, and mentor younger BIPGM people so that they may join our movement in the future.
Follow Black Instagrammers.
Know that you will likely “screw up” (I’m a bit fearful of doing so myself within this blog), but don’t let it stop you from trying and learning.
Recognize that anti-racist work includes all parts of the organization's work from programs and campaigns to outreach and research.
If your organization does not have a comprehensive Respect in the Workplace policy and program, which includes encouraging by-stander intervention and which also has specially trained Designated Persons, reach out to leadership and strongly encourage them to get started. For more on what all organizations in our movement should be doing, please watch this webinar I did for the sanctuary movement – and know that the content applies equally to all groups.
Seek to deeply engage with BIPGM communities through providing paid intern and fellowship opportunities, but do be careful of what might be seen as tokenism.
If you are in a position to influence decisions regarding board membership at your organization, bring on individuals who are BIPGM (while also being mindful that adding unpaid BIPGM board members without also seeking to hire and/or promote BIPGM activists for paid leadership positions is insufficient).
Encourage your boards and leaders to invest in DEI training, and ensure that the training is ongoing, not just tokenizing or “one and done.” This is NOT about getting a checkmark on a to do list, this is about lifelong learning. Help your organization to commit to ongoing training and ongoing work.
When interviewing for a new job at another organization, ask about their level of commitment to DEI and racial equity, not just about whether they have a policy or a statement. Let them know it’s important to you as a potential member of their organization that they are committed to DEI.
Commit to your own ongoing education through reading, online courses, and other forms of personal education. Do not rely on BIPGM people to be your teachers.
When someone who is BIPGM shares with you that your words or actions have hurt them, believe them and take responsibility, then reflect and learn from that experience (remember, impact is more important than intent).
Remain open hearted.
Study Black, Indigenous, Asian, and other Global Majority histories and cultures.
Attend anti-racist marches and other actions - we are activists after all.
Share anti-racist messages on social media.
Speak up if you see or hear racist actions within your organization just like we do for animals. Remember that silence empowers the oppressor.
Encourage your BIPGM colleagues to join the The Talent Database created by Encompass which has been designed to showcase the talent of Black, Indigenous, and people of the Global Majority in animal advocacy.
Encourage your employer to make public statements of solidarity on issues within the larger social justice movement.
Request that your employer include “cultural competence” requirements in all job postings.
Create an anti-racism/DEI committee made up of staff members at your organization.
Watch this video by Christopher Sebastian called Race, Class, Species: Animal liberation.
And, for more ideas of what you can do as an individual employee, please review this fantastic resource that is full of ideas, literature recommendations, podcast suggestions, and more!
And, to quote my friends at Encompass: "Increasing diversity does not, by itself, increase effectiveness; what matters is how an organization harnesses diversity, and whether it’s willing to reshape its power structure."
In addition, one of my dearest friends who is a woman of the Global Majority in our movement suggested a book titled Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. This book also has an accompanying journal which can really help you on your anti-racism journey.
Before I draw this blog to a close, there are a few very important messages that I would like to ensure that I convey.
The first is that there are strong and important arguments that have been made that DEI work simply does not go far enough, and DEI work has even been criticized as not even scratching the surface of the real work that needs to be done to create a truly equitable and inclusive culture. These arguments are important considerations, and ones that must be examined by any organization seeking to engage in deep anti-racism work. While DEI is often inappropriate if it is the only work being done to fight racism, it is a starting point, and it is important that it is combined with other work focused on developing organizational equity and by extension, equity within our movement overall.
We simply cannot advocate for animals if we cannot advocate for one another.
And, for more information about the benefits and drawbacks of DEI work, I offer up some suggested readings by the following BIPGM scholars.
Dr. Geraldine Cochran, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Office of STEM Education at Rutgers University
Dr. Stephanie Creary, Assistant Professor of Management of the Wharton Business School and founding faculty member of the Wharton IDEAS lab (Identity, Diversity, Engagement, Affect, and Social Relationships)
In closing, I wanted to share one personal story. I am sure that all of you, like me, struggle every day with the horrors levied against animals. We see that horror in ways that others do not, and we see it with a frequency not shared by those who don’t do what we do every single day. And, if you’re like me, what keeps me motivated and inspired to continue this work are incredible people who I have met along the way, and who I am humbled to call my closest friends. This blog was inspired by one such friend, a friend who is one of the most principled people I know, a woman of the Global Majority, who, after many years has decided to leave our movement for a few reasons, but one of which was the racism she has experienced in our movement. When she and I last spoke, she said the following words to me “Krista, I don’t feel free in my own body and skin”. My heart sank.
Let us do everything we can to ensure that she is the last in our movement to feel this way.
For more personal stories from your peers, I would encourage you to read this collection of stories, called the #EncompassEssays.
This blog is provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to provide legal advice or opinions of any kind. No one should act, or refrain from acting, based solely upon the materials provided on this website, any hypertext links or other general information without first seeking appropriate legal or other professional advice.
The intention of this blog is to promote the longevity and engagement level of the activist community within the Animal Advocacy Movement (AAM). The majority of the advice will be geared towards employees within the AAM in Canada and the United States, but may be applicable to other countries. All information provided assumes that the employee works within a non-unionized environment.
Krista is the Executive Director of For The Greater Good where she consults with animal protection organizations across North America on matters of organizational development and governance. In addition to holding five degrees and designations in human resources, including a master’s degree in organizational development and leadership, she is pursuing her doctorate focused on the employment experiences of animal rights activists in Canada and the United States. Krista first joined the Animal Advocacy Movement as the VP of Mercy For Animals in Canada where she led twelve undercover investigations into factory farms and slaughterhouses. Krista also served as the President of the Board for Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary for over five years, also now serves on several other Boards including One Protest, The Rancher Advocacy Program, Egg-Truth, and Dairy-Truth. Krista is also a member of Womxn Funders in Animal Rights. Krista is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Critical Animal Studies. Prior to joining the Movement, Krista founded a boutique employment and labour law firm in Toronto where she consulted to employers across Canada and the U.S. for a decade, and before that she spent fifteen years in human resources including as the Vice President of HR for one of the largest software companies in the world.