Want to Deepen Your Antiracism? Start by Deepening Your Relationships
Jul 2023
Fred Hampton and the Rainbow Coalition. Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Assata Shakur and Bernadine Dohrn. Gloria Steinhem and Florynce Kennedy. Yuri Kochiyama and Malcolm X. Jane Fonda and Angela Davis. Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer.
What do all these have in common? They’re some of my favorite models of multiracial coalition, collaboration, friendship, and connection. Each of these examples represent solidarity and allyship in action. They teach us what it looks like to build genuine relationships across racial lines and work together toward a shared vision of racial equity and social justice—or in the case of Barbra and Donna, just a really fabulous disco track (which in our world is equally as important).
Here’s what else we think these pairings can teach us.
Solidarity means putting yourself, your privilege, and your voice on the line. Bernadine Dohrn helped Assata Shakur escape prison. Jane Fonda built an entire fitness empire to fund social justice work. John Brown gave his life for the cause of ending slavery. While we may not all be able to do that, allies can start where they are and leverage the power they have to support people of color. Think about the spaces in your life where you can seed change. Small acts can add up to big impact.
Multiracial coalitions require us to see our struggles and our solutions as inextricably linked. The Rainbow Coalition was an alliance of groups across Chicago including the Black Panthers, the Young Lords who organized among young Puerto Ricans, and the Young Patriots who were poor whites. Each of their communities was very different, but they saw the intersections between racism, poverty, and systems of power that affect us all.
Building relationships starts with trust. Yuri Kochiyama had a longstanding friendship with Malcolm X, including attending his Organization of Afro-American Unity school. Flo Kennedy and Gloria Steinhem teamed up to speak together about racism and sexism. Each of these pairings not only found common cause, but learned from each other and challenged each other. It’s not just about liking or respecting one another (though that’s important!). It’s really seeing, hearing, and supporting each other.
In our work together as the Septima Project, we believe there is no change without connection. Antiracism and allyship start with building relationships, building solidarity, and building coalition. It’s identifying shared values, priorities, and goals—even when there's conflict. It’s sharing power and understanding how to step up and step back when needed.
Building relationships requires cultivating trust and finding mutuality. That only comes when we know each other, listen to each other, and show up for each other. It’s accepting our differences and wanting to work together anyway. As Audre Lorde once said, “You do not have to be me in order for us to fight alongside each other. I do not have to be you to recognize that our wars are the same.”
If you want to deepen your antiracism work, start by deepening your relationships.
Which is why we’re excited to offer our new online workshop You Need More People: Building Relationships and Solidarity for Racial Equity. We’ll discuss how white allies and BIPOC people can navigate race in our relationships. We’ll share what we’ve learned as a white woman and black woman working together and collaborating over the years. We’ll also look at how to avoid some of the common mistakes that keep people from connecting and from making progress toward antiracism.
If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for one of our past workshops or maybe you weren’t able to commit to a full six-week series, this is an opportunity to join us, connect with other folks deepening their antiracism practice, and begin the hard work of building solidarity for racial equity.
Expect lots of conversation, tools and resources, and a chance to reimagine how we can work together in community. Join us to explore how we can cultivate meaningful relationships and work together toward a shared vision of racial equity—without making it weird, losing trust, or losing our way.