Ally Building

Produced by the Center for the Healing of Racism, Houston, TX.

Twelve ways to be an ally for healing the effects of racism and overcoming racist conditioning:

  1. Intervene in a situation where something racist is happening; “interrupt” it.
  2. Take the time to review your own history with regard to race (alone, with a friend or in a workshop group); bring to consciousness how present behavior and thought patterns were established.
  3. Decide to take action to establish meaningful relationships of friendship with people of different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds; overcoming the societal pattern toward separation.
  4. Develop the ability to listen objectively to the anger and hurt of another person without taking it personally, knowing that their feelings come from a long history of injustice and that getting it out to a true listener is in itself healing.
  5. Make a commitment to correct (through reading, study, and investigation) the false and missing information you’ve been given about race, ethnicity and the history and culture of particular groups.
  6. Seek out positive aspects of your own heritage; identifying true heroes and heroines from your background in order to take complete pride in your own heritage.
  7. Become aware that unaware racist patterns exist, and make a consistent effort to bring them to consciousness and overcome them.
  8. Learn to risk making mistakes as growth experiences.
  9. Continue to educate yourself about what is currently happening with others in our world by reading their newspapers and magazines, listening to their leaders, etc.
  10. Form multi-cultural support groups.
  11. Adopt an attitude that the inherent nature of people who have been hurt is to want closeness with others, and not see a cautious response as rejection or cause to give up your efforts to build a friendly relationship with such a person.
  12. Seek to listen and find the fear in people who are acting out their racial conditioning, rather than just blaming or getting angry with them; think of such people as “recovering” from racial conditioning.
  13. Make a personal list of goals in becoming an ally for healing the effects of racism and overcoming racial conditioning.