The Development of “Allyship” and Critical Action among White People over the Lifecourse

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Structural racism and discrimination have long-lasting negative effects on children and adolescents (e.g., Benner, 2017; Witherspoon, Seaton, & Rivas-Drake, 2016). When and how do White people challenge racism across the lifecourse? This symposium explores developmental issues related to antiracist critical action (actions to challenge oppressive forces or structures) and “allyship” (how White people act in solidarity and support with people of color to end racial oppression). Drawing from multiple methods and approaches, interdisciplinary scholars on our panel examine predictors of critical action in White adolescents and young adults and how “White allies” are evaluated by others.

Paper 1 sets the stage by providing an integrative literature review on the topic of antiracism allyship and critical action in White youth exploring questions such as: What is an “ally,” what does allyship look like in practice, and what are some of the developmental antecedents of allyship? Paper 2 utilizes prospective, longitudinal data to examine how White youths’ proximal contexts (i.e., family, peers, school) help shape their experiences of race during adolescence and predict critical action in young adulthood. Paper 3 uses a multi-method approach to investigate whether the racism-related actions of White young adults were intentionally targeted at oppressive systems (i.e., critical). Using a vignette design, Paper 4 evaluates how people judge the character and intentions of others involved in antiracist civic involvement. Together, this panel will move forward important ideas about the development of “allyship” and critical action among White people over the lifecourse.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Chairs

• Parissa J. Ballard, Wake Forest School of Medicine

• Lindsay Till Hoyt, Fordham University

Individual Presentations

• White Antiracist Allyship: A Literature Review of Definitions, Development, and Praxis - Presenting Author: Michael Blake Frisby, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Latent Class Analysis of Racial Socialization and Awareness among White youth - Presenting Author: Brandon Dull, Northwestern University; Non-Presenting Author: Lindsay Till Hoyt, Fordham University

• When is Civic Action Critical? Exploring White Young Adults’ Actions Against Racism - Presenting Author: Sara Kassie Johnson, Tufts University; Non-Presenting Author: Yerin Park, Tufts University; Non-Presenting Author: Naaila Hudani, Tufts University; Non-Presenting Author: Matthew N Gee, Tufts University; Non-Presenting Author: Linnea Otto, Tufts University

• Judging Intentions for Racial Justice Civic Engagement: Do “Allies” get Judged More or Less Positively? - Presenting Author: Parissa J. Ballard, Wake Forest School of Medicine; Non-Presenting Author: Lauren Collier-Spruel, Michigan State University; Non-Presenting Author: Dillon Luke, University of Texas at Austin; Non-Presenting Author: Ashley Hawkins, Wake Forest University; Non-Presenting Author: Ayat Hamza, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Non-Presenting Author: William Fleeson, Wake Forest University