How to Be a Better Ally
So this month at work we had one of our twice annual weeks dedicated to fixing something, hacking something, or learning something. It’s a great tradition where people are encouraged to break out from their normal day to day and try something new.
And this month I was approached by the organizers and asked if I wanted to align this instance of the Ally Podcast Club with their diversity and inclusion learning track. I thought that was a brilliant idea and so I of course said yes.
And so this month in addition to trying to introduce yet another podcast series (which you know I try hard to do) I wanted to pick something that could both introduce new comers to the concept of allyship and continue to help grow those of us who have been on our ally journey for a while. I felt extremely lucky to find this episode of The Happiness Lab podcast - it worked really well.
The episode covers several aspects of allyship and leans into some very personal stories to do so. Fair warning - while I do believe this episode is safe for work, it may feel uncomfortable for some. I think that’s ok, but you may want to take a listen ahead of time and make a call for your school or workplace environment.
Suggested discussion questions (if you need something to start the conversation):
Unfortunately, tragic events happen in the world on a far too regular basis. Those events don’t necessarily hit everyone in the same way. Thoughts on whether it’s better to say not talk about these or to say something at work? And if we were to talk about them, any thoughts on how to approach it?
Often being an ally feels awkward or uncomfortable. How do embrace and move forward? How do we face that fear and move to action?
What does the quote “you have to do the work” mean to you?
What did you think of the concept of being “good-ish”?