Tip of the Week: Be an Ally

It can be daunting to think about how you can be an ally, but, hot tip: it's not hard. Becoming an ally is a series of small, meaningful steps.    CLI has got a few tips for you here. And if you need information, please reach out. We would be thrilled to help.

Get educated: if you don’t know how to be an ally, get educated.  There are hundreds of resources on google that will lead you to relevant websites.  CLI can also point you in the right direction.  Ask your friends how they are good allies.  The information is there; you must want to see it.  Don’t stop learning.

Get to know and support your local minority-owned businesses: and don’t say you don’t know where they are.  Resources like The Black App can point you to hundreds of black-owned businesses.  Check out your local Chambers of Commerce for more local information.

Get brave: all of this takes courage, but we know you can do it and CLI will support you every step of the way. If you don’t know, ask. Most people will understand if you are genuinely seeking information. This also includes not idly standing by when you see or hear something that is not right. 

Get honest: take some time and look within.  Unconscious bias is real.  And there could be stereotypes or outdated ideas that linger.  Not recognizing your own biases will inhibit you from being an ally and bringing your best self.  

Remember:

Allies agree to:

• ·         Have your back when you are not in the room
• ·         Support minority efforts
• ·         Empathize with what people of color are going through
• ·         Act

Tip of the Week: Pronouns

Our tip of the week is going to help anyone who struggles with getting pronouns correct.  Yes, it’s relatively new, but proper pronouns are not going anywhere, so let’s do our best to get it right. 

Your embracing the correct pronouns of your co-workers is a valuable and genuine signal that they are safe bringing their whole self to work.  It is a positive step to allyship.

•  - Start by your own pronouns.  Put your pronouns (e.g., they, them, theirs) in your email signature and social profiles, etc.  This is a good reminder for everyone.

•  - Practice. Practice. Practice.  Stop assuming you know someone’s pronouns based on their appearance.  Make an effort and practice learning pronouns.  Think of it as simply remembering that who you want to refer to as Chrissy wants to be called Christina, you can easily master pronouns. Practice your apology, too.  If you get it wrong – and you might – apologize and accept the impact.  Remind the person that you will work on getting it right.  To continue to misuse a pronoun can be interpreted as a micro-aggression. You can do better.