Turning good intentions into good actions
Author: vaurora
Dear Ally (Skills Teacher), I'm a white cisgender woman and am chairing a search committee for an academic position. Would it be appropriate for me to ask finalists their pronouns (and let them know mine) when arranging their on-campus interview? I want to use their correct pronouns, but I don't want them to feel like … Continue reading #7: Should I ask job applicants for their pronouns?
Dear Ally (Skills Teacher), I am a white man who is a low-rung-on-the-ladder employee at a small technology company that is a vendor for several moderately sized banking companies. When on conference calls our clients, I often hear their clients making oppressive comments. My boss (and owner of the company) is a woman of color … Continue reading #6: What do I do about oppressive speech from clients?
Dear Ally (Skills Teacher), I am a white foreigner living in the U.S., so aside from my accent my privilege is most alike the rest of the white, middle-class, college educated community. However, I have an ignorance about racism here that I am not sure how to rectify. I have a much better understanding of … Continue reading #5: How do I learn what racism looks like in an unfamiliar culture?
Dear Ally Skills Teacher, Men in senior roles, like me, have a responsibility to mentor junior women, to ensure women have a fair chance to succeed. But men have recently gotten frightened by #MeToo and are pulling back from this responsibility. I've had direct conversations with men about this, and I'm convinced I have to … Continue reading #4: What do I tell men who are afraid to mentor women?
Dear Ally (Skills Teacher), I'm a cis white man and for years I've been attending a tech conference, also organized by cis white men. They've worked hard to create an event that's welcoming and inclusive to members of marginalized groups. In the past, they've asked people who were traditionally underrepresented in tech to speak to … Continue reading #3: How do I stop excessive praise for ally work?
Welcome to Dear Ally Skills Teacher! For my first few columns, I will be answering questions I frequently get in Ally Skills Workshops, summarized by me in letter form. Future columns will be answers to questions sent in by readers, which you can send by filling out this form. Dear Ally (Skills Teacher), I am … Continue reading #2: How do I improve compensation fairness at my company ?
Welcome to Dear Ally Skills Teacher! For my first few columns, I will be answering questions I frequently get in Ally Skills Workshops, summarized by me in letter form. Future columns will be answers to questions sent in by readers, which you can send by filling out this form. Dear Ally Skills Teacher, I am … Continue reading #1: A woman of color I work with opposes anti-racism work