Dangerous “Allyship”: Capitalizing on others’ oppression

by Kimberly Zayhowski, Helen Kim, and Liann Jimmons

            As we are reminded by the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Professional Status Survey each year, the genetic counseling field remains notoriously homogenous. With the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements and a growing consciousness of social justice matters, many with privileged identities are coming to appreciate the extent of oppression such as racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia and homophobia in our society. A focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) has been highlighted in NSGC’s initiatives in recent years. This surge in DEIJ work gives us optimism. At the same time, it’s important that allies are diligent at monitoring their own motivations to not become opportunistic “allies” who capitalize on DEIJ work to bolster their social capital and CVs. In many spaces, false allies are proceeding with DEIJ work as a grant-funded trend while actually harming the communities they are supposed to be serving. When people focus their effort into having others view them as “allies,” they may obscure their complicity. In this piece, we outline some of these problems and offer an opportunity for constructive reflection so that we can all work towards something genuine.

“Equity tourists”: Boosting resumes, harming communities

Nascent in their journeys in DEIJ, there are a number of ways well-meaning allies contribute to the erasure of community members. DEIJ work can be another way white, non-disabled, straight, and/or cisgender folks colonize marginalized spaces. Columbusing behavior, or “discovering” something that is not new, is a symptom of internalized white supremacy. Even if someone has “found” new knowledge about a marginalized community, that fascination can easily turn into fetishization. Without the context and rigor of lived experience, the understanding of these social dynamics can only remain superficial. Work that lingers at contemplation, theorization for the sake of it, and reiteration of known problems without real solutions remains ineffective. With this, non-community members become viewed as “experts” and hold authority on topics on which they only have an academic understanding. It leads to the hoarding of diversity-related positions or projects and gaining visibility, recognition, and financial compensation for said work. Academic work without community involvement or benefit becomes a means to an end, another way of objectifying minoritized people’s struggles. Internalized white supremacy is insidious in nature and requires constant checks and balances. Power is being siphoned away from minoritized scholars in their own communities as opportunities are lost to outsiders who have better connections and systemic privilege.

Communities need respect and dignity, not “allies” who profit off of their oppression. While non-community members may be well-meaning and spurred by their new understanding of racism, transphobia, ableism, and/or homophobia, pursuing work in these areas without the leadership of marginalized community members can become disingenuous and opportunistic. For example, one survey found that ~76% of chief diversity officers are white, while ~4% are Black, ~8% are Latino or Hispanic, and ~8% are Asian. Organizations continue to hire workers who have little or no experience to execute DEIJ missions. Putting non-community members in positions of power related to diversity work is underhanded and waters down what work can actually be done. Without community engagement, even the most well-intended non-community member will miss key information and insight that is pertinent to drive change.

Proximity does not equal identity. Authorship does not equal embodiment. It is imperative that allies who are working in DEIJ spaces cite, partner with, and support scholars from minoritized communities to take the lead on DEIJ initiatives. It is both true that allies can do meaningful DEIJ work AND that we need to be critical when leaders in these spaces are promoting themselves as experts on identities and experiences that are not theirs.

The difference between supporting and exploiting

The people who receive the most publicity are often those with the loudest voices, but they are not always the necessary voices. It can be easy to make the excuse that you cannot find a community member to lead an effort. However, if you are truly invested in making a difference and supporting historically marginalized communities, you need to put more effort into finding a voice to amplify louder than your own. People with privileged identities need to step up in ways that uplift not overtake. It is true that allies have opened doors in meaningful, necessary ways, but it’s imperative that we all recognize when to transfer the power back. Open the door and hold it open for someone else to walk through.

So where is the line? How do we recruit without tokenizing, how do we include without exploiting, and how do we take action without colonizing opportunities? Some critical questions for allies who aim to empower (not overpower) minoritized communities to consider when engaging with DEIJ work:

Presentations: Are you the right person to give this presentation? Do you know of a community member you can recommend for the presentation instead? Can you advocate for pay for DEIJ-related presentations? If you take on a presentation, should you bring in a co-presenter? Are you in a position where you could mentor someone with needed perspectives who has less presentation experience?

Research: How do you position yourself in relation to the research question? How do your identities impact decisions made throughout the project? Are the goals of the project in line with community-expressed needs? Do you have diversity on your team, including folks with lived experiences relevant to the project? Are your community consultants worthy of authorships instead of acknowledgments?

Leadership roles: Are you the best person for this position? Is your perspective already represented in this space? Is the selection process inclusive? Can you use your privilege to elevate another candidate instead and support the project or institution in an alternate way?

Overall: Take some time to understand all of your incentives and motivations behind doing this work. Share them with friends, colleagues, and mentors you trust to tell you when you’re in the wrong. Find opportunities to be vulnerable and solicit feedback. Spend a lot of time in this phase of your work before jumping in recklessly. Be in community with folks able to give you iterative feedback and commit to this process. Are there other perspectives you should be bringing in? Is your work transactional? What are your intentions? Are you only involved in anti-oppression work that results in additions to your CV? Do your intentions align with the impact? Is your work being done to drive change or just to make you feel better about yourself?

All in all, while allies must do the legwork on tackling DEIJ issues, we emphasize leg. While minoritized folks should lead changes that affect their communities, they cannot continue to shoulder the entire weight of this work by themselves. Whenever possible, community members must be at the head of the efforts, and allies need to examine how they can redistribute their power. We highlight the needs for collaboration with community members and accountability at all levels to ensure that our actions and impact are in line with our intentions. As individuals, institutions, and systems, we need to scrutinize the impact of our actions on communities, develop our awareness to see beyond ourselves, and dedicate ourselves to doing better.

Note: This is a call to engage in honest self-reflection about our motivations as individuals, not a call to persecute our colleagues. We feel strongly that people should not have to publicly disclose personal aspects of their identities while doing DEIJ-related work. We also recognize many identities are fluid and can change over time. Engaging in DEIJ work requires us to honor the trust that our colleagues give to us. 

Authors

Kimberly Zayhowski, MS, CGC (she/her) works as an assistant professor and research genetic counselor in Boston, MA. Her views are informed by her queer and multiracial identities.

Helen Kim, MA, MS, CGC (she/her) is a chronically ill and queer genetic counselor. She is an educator and public engagement associate working to foster conversations around ethical and societal implications of genetic technologies with minoritized communities in Los Angeles, CA.

Liann Jimmons, MS, CGC (she/they) is a genetic counselor and, more importantly, an advocate for genomic justice. She works in public health doing outreach, education, and clinical services for underserved communities in Honolulu, HI.