"Racial injustice remains prevalent in our society. Okologie stands in solidarity with the Black community against all forms of racism and violence. We stand for change and for the relentless pursuit of justice. We stand for equity and inclusion. Today we'll pause our social media to reflect on ways to support the Black community."
Activism & Allyship Guide
Prepared by the Black@ Airbnb Employee Resource Group
Background
Injustice is something that exists in the world and is faced daily by many different types of people. For many Black people, it ranges from microaggressions , like a woman clutching her purse when approaching a Black man or a person telling a Black woman she looks “neat and clean,” to death either at the hands of the police or someone else who believes they are within their right to invalidate a Black person’s life. When many of these instances come to light by way of social media or the news, people want to find ways that they can be helpful or support the cause. It is in these moments that you see people engaging in online activism by sharing posts; participating in a solidarity activity like wearing hoodies or buying skittles in support of Trayvon; running in support of Ahmaud; singing “We are not afraid” in support of Breonna Taylor, or participating in marches and spontaneous protests. While these acts are important, helping to underscore the unity of people who are enraged by these situations, there is more that can be done to truly advance the cause of justice. Those actions may look different based on how you exist in the world, but ultimately, everyone has a role to play in creating a more equitable society.
If we are to advance the cause of racial justice, it has to be done both in the moments when we are outraged and in the quiet moments when there isn’t a new hashtag borne out of a specific moment of injustice. It is about changing attitudes and beliefs that ultimately lead to actions. It is hard work, to be sure, but it is the real work that will move the needle.
Purpose of this document
This document is designed to help people on their Allyship journey and has been designed by Airbnb’s Black@ employee resource group specifically as a guide to how Black Airbnb employees want Allies to show up for them, and it references work from activists and experts in antiracism. Being an ally does not start and stop during moments of convenience and inconvenience. Being an ally is a journey of commitment to understanding the dynamic realities marginalized people face, while confronting the role the privileges you enjoy have played in creating those realities.
Social privilege is a special, unearned advantage or entitlement, used to one's own benefit or to the detriment of others. Groups can be advantaged based on social class, age, disability, ethnic or racial category, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion. There are a range of ways to use one’s own privilege to help other marginalized communities. At the start, Phase I, one begins to be an ally, when people with privilege seek to understand the experiences of marginalized people and empathize with those experiences. Phase II begins when people leverage their own privilege to create space for marginalized people where those people might not have been able to exist, or to step back themselves and allow for the marginalized people to step up. Finally, in Phase III, one is actively working to dismantle the structures of privilege, even your own privilege, that keep other people in a marginalized position.
Actions
Immediately
Be an active ally
Do not remain silent. Be heard so that others know you do not condone injustice
Consider watching the video of George Floyd (trigger warning: it will make you extremely uncomfortable) or read How do you kneel on a neck for nine minutes? If you choose not to, ask yourself why you're choosing not to, and examine what you can learn from that introspection
In moments of public outcries and uprisings
Demand justice by supporting online petitions or making calls to local leaders
Leverage your own networks to help educate others about the injustice that has
occurred
Allies, show up and make your voice heard: If you are a white ally, you can march with
Black protesters or form a line to defend them
Financially support organizations on the ground in the impacted place(s), especially
those that are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color Led
Direct other people to the resources you find and are supporting, including voices who
are educating you about the issues
Check on your friends and colleagues, particularly those who are Black
If you manage Black employees, be sensitive to the trauma that they are dealing with
when one of these instances occurs and manage with compassion
In moments of perceived calm
Here is a list of anti-racism resources; Educate yourself about the history of inequities that have marginalized Black people
Engage in a Daring Discussion with someone about a topic that you don’t understand or would like to understand better
Support national and local organizations who are working to uplift, center, empower and liberate Black people and communities - preferably those that are Black led
Educate yourself about the laws and policies that will negatively impact Black communities and advocate against them
Support elected officials and candidates with agendas that support the voices of the most marginalized people
Get civically engaged by voting in every election, but also supporting efforts to protect people’s right to vote (like volunteering for election protection or participating in get-out-the-vote activities)
Active Campaigns
In Support of George Floyd
Sign this petition to demand the police officers that strangled George Floyd are charged or text George Floyd to 5515
Call (612) 324-4499 to be connected with offices that have the authority to charge the officers in the murder of George Floyd
Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund directly or through Benevity to help provide bail for people protesting against the killing of George Floyd or to learn about other local organizations on the front lines
In Support of Breonna Taylor
Sign this petition to demand charges are filed in the death of Breonna Taylor or text ENOUGH to 55156
Call 502-735-1784 to demand justice for Breonna right away
Support the Louisville Community Bail Fund to help bail out protestors
In Support of Ahmaud Arbery
Sign this petition to remove the local prosecutors from office who failed to move forward with Arbery’s case
Donate to Ahmaud’s family with this fundraiser In support of the Black community
Advocate for police reforms as noted by the lawyers for these three cases
Participate in Black Out Day on July 7
Data Sources
Learn about The Citizens Police Data Project
Mapping Police Violence
Data on Racial Economic Inequality
Daring Discussion Guides
The goal of “Daring Discussions” is for participants on different sides of a given issue to learn about one another's personal experiences and perspectives as a starting place to gain compassion, respect and stronger relationships. Participants are asked to commit to avoiding judgment, defensiveness and anger and to try to express any negative feelings and different views constructively from a place of giving as opposed to being oppositional or needing to be right.
To become an ally, you must seek understanding of the lived experiences of a particular person or group of people. Here is the Daring Discussions toolkit to help guide you through meaningful conversations with someone about a topic or set of topics that will help you build empathy and compassion for marginalized people.
Allyship Interventions
20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now
Anti-racism resources
Learn about the 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
Revolution: Hear Malcom X, Angela Davis, MLK Jr., and others speak out
BLM: A Playlist Books/Articles/Media
This list below is not exhaustive and should be considered a starting point for anyone looking to learn more about the history of inequities and how they were created. There are many other articles, books, podcasts and other media that you can use to further your own self-awareness.
Articles
Affirming Black Lives without Inducing Trauma
The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh
Why We Need to Talk About Race
The Enduring Solidarity of Whiteness by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life
The Intersectionality Wars
What is Intersectionality and What Does It Have to Do with Me?
We Need Co-conspirators Not Allies: How White Americans Can Fight Racism
The 1619 Project
Bear Witness, Record, De-escalate; How race may affect what bystanders are called to
do in cases like George Floyd’s
Books
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, change the world, and become a good ancestor by Layla F. Saad
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin
DiAngelo
Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by
Jennifer Eberhardt
Blind Spot by Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by
Richard Rothstein
Slavery By Another Name by Douglass A. Blackmon
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes affect us and what we can do by Claude Steele
Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson
Podcasts
Pod Save the People hosted by DeRay Mckesson
Code Switch
The Nod
The Stoop
Identity Politics
1619 Audio Series
On One with Angela Rye
Films & Videos
13th directed by Ava DuVernay
5 Tips For Being An Ally by Franchesca Ramsey
What Matters produced by Black Lives Matter
Just Mercy
King in the Wilderness
The Urgency of Intersectionality by Kimberlé
Crenshaw
Here are some of the organizations Airbnb has supported or currently work with:
Organizations to Support
NAACP
United Negro College Fund
Color of Change
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Action Network
National Urban League
Rainbow PUSH
Data For Black Lives
National Council of Negro Women
Here are other great organizations that you can support:
Movement for Black Lives - a coalition organization representing a collective of groups working to center and empower the Black community
Your local Black Lives Matter Chapter
The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
Southern Poverty Law Center
Black Youth Project 100
Campaign Zero
Center for Policing Equity
The Sentencing Project
Families against Mandatory Minimums
A New Way of Life
Dream Defenders
National Bail Out Fund
Policy Link
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
NAACP LDF
Black Alliance for Just Immigration
National Black Justice Coalition
National Black Disability Coalition
The Collective PAC
Higher Heights for America
Thurgood Marshall College Fund