Let's get a bit real. Chances are if you are white in the workplace you think you are an ally e.g. ~75% of white employees think they are allies to women of colour. But (BIG but)... when did you DO something in support of someone with a marginalized identity?
Allies take action and this was a key point in this interview with Emily Williams of Forward Ever Global. Emily is a DEI expert and coach to women of colour so they might address microaggressions and other common workplace challenges.
Acts of allyship might make you uncomfortable like when you call out bias. Or maybe you name a microaggression in a high stakes setting. Or maybe you reduce your own opportunity in favour of someone who overlooked because of their identity. These are the actions, however, of a true ally.
There is so much overlooked talent because someone doesn't come in the desired package. True allies are going to help by giving that talent a chance to be seen for their strength and perform. It's also the right thing to do and HR can play a role through individual action and DEI programs.
Find Emily at emily@forwardeverglobal.com or https://forwardeverglobal.com/
Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/