Cues of a Performative Ally

Have you...

• learned about the racial climate and now listen to Black people in order to act accordingly?

• asked for what to say when you are in front of a lesser informed audience?

• had a hard time knowing what lines of questioning are offensive because of a difficulty understanding social cues?

• looked for ways to show a marginalized person or group that you are good/safe/not one of the racist white people?

PERFORMative allyship is actually not hard to spot at all. Once you see the cues, you won't be able to NOT see it going forward.

Okay, let’s look at those sentiments again…

You've learned about the racial climate and now listen to Black people in order to act accordingly.

You’ve asked for what to say when you are in front of a lesser informed audience.

You've had a hard time knowing what lines of questioning are offensive because of a difficulty understanding social cues.

You've looked for ways to show a marginalized person or group that you are good/safe/not one of the racist white people.

INSTEAD of alllllll that work, just BE whatever you are trying to portray.

I’m going to save you a ton of energy and let you know right now, Black people around you aren’t trying to determine where you stand on our humanity. And even if they were, there is literally nothing you can do to control how they perceive you. In fact, it is extremely presumptuous and arrogant to try. The moment that you, as a white person, consider yourself a safe place for Black people or one of the “good” white people, you are officially NOT on the right path.

-WWW