As a white woman in a sector dominated by white women, I have benefited from a system that privileges me because of the color of my skin.  As a white leader for racial equity I'm constantly thinking about how I can show up as ally vs. bystander for women of color in this sector.  I'm sharing a few examples of what we've been doing at StriveTogether and would love to hear about how others in the community are thinking about this.

The nonprofit sector is largely made up of white women. This hit home with me recently when I was reading the Race to Lead report, which lays out how white women, along with white men, have a significant advantage in career advancement and more positive workplace experiences than people of color in the sector.

This situation is not unique to the non-profit sector, but those of us who have made a commitment to improving the world – whether by supporting the arts, advocating for national policy change, addressing global food security or fighting for local education reform – have a greater responsibility to walk the talk and dismantle racist systems in both our professional and personal lives.

I realized, once again that I, as a white woman, have benefited from a system that privileges me simply because of the color of my skin.  As a result, I cannot be a bystander. If I do, then I am upholding the status quo by my inaction. And this inaction undermines our organizations and the important work we do, keeping us from making the greatest possible impact.

Instead, we white women must use our privilege and become active allies standing behind and with Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian women of color. Based on my experiences and more than a few fail forwards in my own personal race equity journey, I encourage four actions that white women in the WEAVE community, as well as white men, can put into practice today:

• Create Space. Intentionally create space for women of color to be their full and authentic selves, such as stepping aside so they can take center stage for an important meeting, consistently soliciting their opinions for big and small decisions, or creating affinity groups to discuss challenges and opportunities in the workplace. If I, as a white woman, often feel like I can’t be true to myself at leadership tables full of men, how much harder must it be for a woman of color to feel like she can fully show up?  At StriveTogether we’ve supported the creation of a Women of Color affinity space where women of color can gather and provide support to one another. And these voices are important inputs and drivers to impacting organizational culture and strategy.
• Let women of color tell their own stories. Resist the urge to tell their stories for them. Instead make a place at the table for them to share their own perspectives and ideas, drawing on their lived experiences as critical data for decision making. At StriveTogether we recently hosted a conversation with Cecilia Munoz on her book about rising women of color leaders and we engaged three women of color leaders from our Network in the discussion so that they could share their stories and insights.
• Fail forward. Do not be afraid to make mistakes and ask for help. Silence is worse than speaking up and saying something wrong. Stay humble and surround yourself with diverse women of color who can provide honest feedback on how you can continue to strengthen your leadership and decenter white norms. Throughout my own racial equity journey, I have constantly found myself learning in public – making mistakes and doing my best to learn from them and improve.
• Use your platform. Take risks when supporting women of color, which may mean speaking out when it’s scary or uncomfortable or having the courage to take action that is different from the status quo. This may mean that we might lose something personally – and that’s not just okay, but necessary, to fight racial injustice and lift up women of color around us. As a funder, StriveTogether recently took a hard look at the investments we’ve made in our network members.  We were dismayed to see that an overwhelming number of grants were going to partnerships led by white men.  In our latest round of investments, we have explicitly prioritized investing in partnerships led by women of color.  I’ve been sharing this example with other funders and encouraging them to take explicit actions to support leaders of color in our sector.

As a national leader who is white, directing work that benefits communities of color, I am on a constant journey of learning and understanding how to decenter whiteness and be a true ally to women of color. I’ve made progress and I’ve made mistakes.  I’m learning every single day.  One of my favorite quotes, which keeps me grounded through this journey is by Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better.  Then, when you know better, do better.”  There has never been a more important time for white people like me to use our unearned privilege to break down systemic racism.  That work starts by centering the experiences of those most impacted by these oppressive systems.  How are you showing up as an ally vs. bystander and what are you learning about your leadership as you do?