What should allies do? Identifying activist perspectives on the role of white allies in the struggle for racial justice in the United States

Selvanathan, Hema Preya, Ulug, Ozden Melis and Burrows, Brooke (2022) What should allies do? Identifying activist perspectives on the role of white allies in the struggle for racial justice in the United States. European Journal of Social Psychology. pp. 1-18. ISSN 0046-2772

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Abstract

The present research examined the perspectives of both White and Black racial justice activists on the roles of White allies in the struggle for justice for Black people in the United States. Study 1 used Q methodology, a mixed-methods approach, which identified four distinct perspectives about the role of White allies from a sample of activists (33 White and 22 Black Americans): (1) mobilize to support Black leadership, (2) interpersonal activism, (3) avoid dominating Black people's efforts, and (4) lifelong learning. In Study 2, we interviewed activists (22 White and 12 Black Americans) to understand their evaluation of, and preference for, each of perspective identified in Study 1. Thematic analyses showed that each perspective had its pros and cons regarding considerations of how to best use ingroup advantages without dominating the movement. Our findings contribute to our understanding of potential tensions in solidarity-based social movements.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Clinical Research, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Schools and Departments: School of Psychology > Psychology
SWORD Depositor: Mx Elements Account
Depositing User: Mx Elements Account
Date Deposited: 26 Oct 2022 12:31
Last Modified: 26 Oct 2022 12:45
URI: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/108682

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