Values

Values: This group is not about performative allyship. In this context, we define performative allyship as: shallow expressions of solidarity which are not backed by substantive, consistent actions that work toward the dismantlement of white supremacy. Rather, this group values, advocates, and fights for structural change at our university, and beyond. Our activism is characterized by:

• Community: As members of our community - especially those of us with white privilege - we are accountable to those who have been historically marginalized as a result of racism and especially those subject to intersectional oppression. Following the lead of Black feminists, and other feminists of color, we find power in collective efforts toward dismantling white supremacy. 

• Commitment: Anti-racist work should be life-long. It is both a responsibility and a necessity that we pledge to take on in service of social justice and equity. We strive to move beyond all-or-nothing dualities that exist in today’s hegemonic paradigms which teach us that we must follow certain rules in order to be “good enough.” This allows us to imagine new possibilities for personal growth and collective activism. 

• Recentering: We are committed to de-centering whiteness and instead deliberately re-center the perspectives, needs, and voices of BIPOC and other marginalized groups  

• Intersectionality: Being conscious of and attendant to intersectional oppression as essential for effective and ethical anti-racist work.

• Reflexivity: Engagement in continuous reflection about one’s intentions, motivations, and actions. Having an open and conscious awareness, and acceptance of, inevitably making mistakes, being accountable for the effects of those mistakes, and being held accountable by others through constructive criticism. This also means being conscious to call others “in” rather than “out.”