What It Means to Be a White Ally: Lessons from History and the Power of Advocacy

Being a white ally means actively supporting racial justice and using one’s privilege to challenge systemic oppression. It goes beyond passive support or self-identification; allyship requires continuous learning, self-examination, and action. True allies amplify marginalized voices, advocate for systemic change, and take responsibility for addressing racism in their communities.

In today’s polarized world, where racial injustice continues to manifest in policing, education, housing, and healthcare, the role of white allies remains crucial. But what does effective allyship look like? To answer that, we can look to history.

Lesser-Known White Allies Who Changed the Course of History

While many people know of figures like Abraham Lincoln or John Brown, there are numerous lesser-known white allies who played significant roles in racial justice movements.

Viola Liuzzo (1925–1965)
A white woman from Detroit, Liuzzo was a civil rights activist who participated in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches. She was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan while driving Black activists home after the march. Her sacrifice demonstrated the real dangers of allyship and the risks many took to stand against racial injustice.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
The former First Lady was an outspoken advocate for racial equality, even when it was politically unpopular. She publicly supported the NAACP, fought for anti-lynching legislation, and resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution after they refused to allow Black singer Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall.

John R. Lynch (1847–1939)
A former slave turned politician, Lynch became a powerful advocate for Reconstruction-era civil rights. While he was Black, his ability to serve in Congress was only possible due to white allies who supported the Reconstruction amendments. His political career was an example of how interracial coalitions have historically been necessary for progress.

Bob Zellner (b. 1939)
A former member of the Ku Klux Klan lineage, Zellner became a lifelong civil rights activist. As a white man in the 1960s, he worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was arrested multiple times for participating in protests against segregation.

These figures show that white allyship is not about centering oneself but about using privilege to dismantle oppressive systems.

What Is Cultural Bias and How Does It Shape Our Thinking?

Cultural bias refers to the way personal beliefs, customs, and societal norms shape our perception of the world. It influences everything from historical narratives to hiring practices. Cultural biases are deeply ingrained and can manifest as implicit bias—subconscious attitudes that affect decision-making.

For example:

• Studies show that identical resumes with “white-sounding” names receive significantly more callbacks than those with Black-sounding names (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004).

• In medicine, Black patients are often undertreated for pain due to false stereotypes about pain tolerance (Hoffman et al., 2016).

• In education, Black students are more likely to face disciplinary action than white students for similar behavior (Skiba et al., 2011).

These biases reinforce systemic inequities and make it harder for marginalized communities to gain equal footing. Recognizing these biases is the first step in combating them.

What Happens When We Stop Engaging in Advocacy?

When advocacy and allyship decline, the most vulnerable communities suffer the consequences. Historically, moments of regression have led to severe repercussions:

• Reconstruction's End (1877): After a brief period of Black political progress following the Civil War, white backlash led to the rise of Jim Crow laws and widespread disenfranchisement.

• The Civil Rights Rollback: Gains made in the 1960s were undermined by mass incarceration and voter suppression, disproportionately affecting Black communities (Alexander, 2010).

• Modern-Day Setbacks: The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act led to new voter suppression laws disproportionately affecting communities of color (Shelby County v. Holder, 2013).

Allyship is not a trend or a one-time action—it must be an ongoing commitment. When we disengage, injustice persists, and history repeats itself.

Conclusion: The Responsibility of White Allies

Being a white ally means committing to lifelong learning, acknowledging privilege, and taking tangible action. It requires listening to marginalized voices, challenging biases, and advocating for systemic change even when it is uncomfortable.

Allyship is not about being a savior—it is about being in solidarity. It is about recognizing that oppression thrives in silence and that the fight for racial justice is a shared responsibility.

As civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer once said, "Nobody's free until everybody's free."

Sources

• Alexander, M. (2010). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press.

• Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?" American Economic Review, 94(4), 991-1013.

• Hoffman, K. M., Trawalter, S., Axt, J. R., & Oliver, M. N. (2016). "Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(16), 4296-4301.

• Skiba, R. J., Horner, R. H., Chung, C. G., Rausch, M. K., May, S. L., & Tobin, T. (2011). "Race is not neutral: A national investigation of African American and Latino disproportionality in school discipline." School Psychology Review, 40(1), 85-107.

• Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013).