Stop Showing. Start Doing: What Allyship Looks Like
I spent Halloween with family this year. Among the gathering was a friend of theirs—a white woman who was noticeably careful about how she moved through the home of a Mexican family.
If you're a person of the global majority, you know this energy. You can feel when someone is walking on eggshells, trying hard not to say the "wrong" thing. She was clearly in solidarity with us, and she was also visibly anxious about how to express it.
At one point, she asked a question I'm sure many people are sitting with right now: "How do you show you're an ally without showing you're an ally?"
She wanted to demonstrate support without being performative or showy. It's a real question. An honest one. And right now, with my people being targeted and terrorized by ICE, it's one that carries weight.
Here's my answer: You don't have to show us anything. Take action.
Don't worry about proving your solidarity to us. Don't center your own comfort or your need to be seen as "one of the good ones." Just act. Do the work. Move resources.
The reality is that when ICE detains a human being, it doesn't just impact one person. It hurts all of us. Relationships are fractured. The social fabric tears. It strips wealth from entire communities. A family loses their source of income. Legal fees pile up. Assets are lost. Not to mention the collective trauma. Every person matters.
Redistribution Over Recognition
If you're asking yourself, "What action should I take?" Let me offer you a framework: participate in the redistribution of safety, access, money, and time.
As Toi Smith states, “redistribution….is repair. It’s how we begin to live differently inside a world built on exploitation.” If you want to act on your allyship, then I invite you to move resources.
Two concrete places to redistribute resources right now:
Donate to the Oregon Worker Relief Fund. During the pandemic, this fund was created because Oregonians believe in caring for one another and ensuring our state is welcoming to all people who call it home. It supported immigrant Oregonians facing economic hardship who were excluded from COVID-19 relief and unemployment insurance. Now, this trusted fund provides direct support to families impacted by ICE arrests.
Support El Programa Hispano's Annual Holiday Toy Store. For immigrant families facing rising costs and increased fear, this season is especially heavy. The toy store offers a moment of hope. A place where parents can select gifts with pride, where teens feel remembered, and where seniors receive thoughtful holiday bundles. You can volunteer to sort toys, welcome families, decorate, or distribute food boxes. Contact volunteers@elprograma.org to get involved.
What This Has to Do With Business
And from a business perspective? There’s a few things.
First, we know it costs significantly more to hire and onboard a new employee than to retain existing staff. Organizations with high turnover rates hemorrhage money in this process. The impact of these detentions ripples outward: economically, operationally, and relationally.
Second, our values aren't separate from our operations as entrepreneurs. They're woven into every decision we make.
Right now, it's hard to be business as usual when my communities are being targeted so violently and blatantly.
I am going to continue to show up, be in community, and remain steadfast to the importance of redistributing resources.
May we all continue to free our minds, hearts, and souls from programming about “who deserves ease, who holds value, and who is disposable” (Toi Smith).
May we all strive to be good ancestors.