Encouraging white allyship in anti-racism by decentring whiteness

Abstract

Racism in higher education continues to harm Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students, so white faculty need to be good allies in anti-racism by decentring whiteness to better support BIPOC individuals. To increase self-awareness, white faculty should reflect on how they benefit from white privilege and then use this privilege to better support BIPOC students at both the interpersonal and institutional level, to centre BIPOC voices, to advocate for social justice, to condemn racism privately and publicly, to create teachable moments to better inform white students on the harms of prejudice and to intervene if BIPOC students are discriminated against. By being good allies, white faculty can show other white individuals how to use one's privilege to take action in anti-racism.