Perceiving Allies from the Perspective of Non-Dominant Group Members: Comparisons to Friends and Activists

Abstract

Allies represent an understudied group with whom non-dominant group members may interact in intergroup situations. Allies share qualities with both intergroup friends and activists, but research on similarities and differences between allies and friends, or allies and activists, has not been conducted. The current study investigates how U.S. people of color perceive allies compared to intergroup friends and activists on interpersonal and intergroup behaviors. A sample of 160 people of color attending a small, predominantly White college in the Midwest provided data via an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition in which they responded to questions about a specific White individual whom they considered an ally, friend, or activist. Analysis of the data indicated that people of color: (1) perceived allies to be more interpersonally supportive than activists; (2) did not report any significant differences between allies and friends for either interpersonal or intergroup support; and (3) saw activists as displaying more formal, confrontational intergroup behaviors designed to effect social change than either allies or friends, but regarded activists and allies as equivalent in informal, non-confrontational intergroup support. The ways in which allies are similar to friends and different from activists are discussed.

Actors against Ableism? Qualities of Nondisabled Allies from the Perspective of People with Physical Disabilities

“…Participants in our study appreciated nondisabled people who could offer appropriate help, be trustworthy in their understanding of identity, make personal connections, advocate and act against ableism, be willing to learn, and communicate effectively. Consistent with research about White allies to people of color, our participants emphasized both political and social dimensions of being an ally (Brown, ; Droogendyk et al., ).…”

“…Additional support for conceptualizing “ally” as a verb comes from psychological research on allyship, most of which has examined heterosexual allies to LGBTQ people (e.g., Asta & Vacha‐Haase, ; Brooks & Edwards, ; Conley, Devine, Rabow, & Evett, ; Fingerhut, ; Goldstein & Davis, ; Grzanka, Adler, & Blazer, ; Montgomery & Stewart, ) and White allies to people of color (e.g., Alimo, ; Brown, ; Brown & Ostrove, ; Case, ; Kivel, ; Kordesh, Spanierman, & Neville, ; Selvanathan et al., ). In one study, for example, people of color's descriptions of the qualities of their specific White allies fell into two broad categories: affirmation (focused on demonstrating interpersonal qualities such as respect, caring, and connection) and informed action (focused on acknowledging identity‐based differences and taking action to address discrimination; Brown & Ostrove, ).…”

“…Psychological research on efforts to oppose discrimination or dismantle systems of oppression has, among other foci, attended to the behaviors and qualities of activists (e.g., Curtin & McGarty, ; Duncan & Stewart, ) and allies (e.g., Brown, ). Allies are typically described as members of dominant groups who are committed to and work on behalf of the liberation of a nondominant group (e.g., Case, ; Droogendyk, Wright, Lubensky, & Louis, ; Fingerhut, ; Selvanathan, Techakesari, Tropp, & Barlow, ).…”

Are allies who we think they are?: A comparative analysis

“…Although our studies offer an important comparative picture and provide empirical support for the idea that allies possess key characteristics related to affirmation and informed action, our work has limitations that should be addressed in future research. Study 2 identified a category of friends who are not allies, but it is clear that our sample of allies also qualifies as “friends.” Indeed, it may be quite difficult to separate “friends” and “allies” given the combination of affirming qualities (caring, liking, and respect) and commitment to activism people of color identify in those they consider “allies” (see Brown, , for additional empirical evidence on the challenge of separating friends and allies in work that distinguished among people of color's perceptions of “friends,” “allies,” and “activists”). The design of our study, which asked people of color to think of individuals with whom they have a personal connection, was a strength because we can be sure that our participants are not self‐proclaimed allies but are identified as such by people of color.…”

“The term “all genders” would be more appropriate”: Reflections on teaching trauma literature to a gender fluid youth

“…As we described, this might be a reflection of how, "Throughout the learning, we revisited the importance of witnessing, being allies, not defaulting to the role of a bystander" (Author & Coauthor, 2017, p. 178). Additionally, the need for connection in high school is tantamount, so observing students reaching out to create communities and foster allyship (see, for example, Case, 2013;Brown, 2015;DeTurk, 2011;Hunt & Holmes, 2015) was impressive.…”