White Allies 101: Outreach, Engagement and Change-Making

What is an ally? As a White person, do you struggle with how to respond to racism at work, at home or in your community? If so, you are not alone. Many allies seek effective tools to engage in honest and productive conversations about race. How do you talk to White friends, relatives and neighbors about race? How do you address conflicting opinions about current events, politics and cultural differences? This program focuses on developing concrete skills to navigate encounters with people who are skeptical that racism is a problem, and further your understanding of specific actions to foster racial equity.

Michelle Dew is an adviser at Scottsdale Community College’s Office of Service-learning & Leadership, where she facilitates opportunities to connect classroom instruction with real-world experience through two main methods, service learning and leadership lessons. Through these methods students learn to be engaged and aware citizens by addressing needs within local and global communities.  Dew is a former co-leader of Paradise Valley Community College’s Diversity, Inc., a yearlong program that teaches students the MOSAIC ((Maximizing Our Strengths as an Inclusive Community) program, and an active member of the Healing Racism Public Dialogue Series, winner of the 2008 National League of Cities Promoting Inclusive Award. Michelle was also a 2014 Arizona Diversity Alliance Champion award winner.