Inside-Out Allyship: Building True Solidarity Within White Communities
Exploring the Journey from Performative Gestures to Genuine Connection and Accountability
Introduction:
To dismantle supremacy culture is to question a worldview that has been embedded in us for centuries. This work isn’t easy, but it’s transformative. If you’re engaging (rather attempting to engage)in allyship, especially as a white person, this journey requires looking at where allyship is truly being practiced—and where it might need to start within white communities before extending outward. Because here’s the truth: until the structures of “power over” are addressed within white spaces, offering allyship to others is like inviting them into a burning house.
MLK said it best when he said: “I Fear I May Have Integrated My People Into a Burning House”
I’ve often introduced my videos by saying, “Hello, my name is Desireé B Stephens, and I pathologize whiteness. I explain how it is a system that simultaneously strips white-bodied people of everything that is culture and replaces it with perceived power. Without people to oppress, whiteness cannot exist, and that is what makes it a fragile identity.”
This exploration of “power over” within whiteness is an invitation to acknowledge this fragility and replace it with something far more enduring: community. Today, we’ll dig into what it means to move from “power over” to “power with” by first addressing the internal hierarchies that keep white communities divided, competitive, and fragile. Real allyship must start here, where the systems and fractures within whiteness can be dismantled, creating space for solidarity that’s real, lasting, and deeply rooted.
Why Shift from “Power Over” to “Power With”?
To begin dismantling supremacy culture, we must look at how “power over” creates and sustains harmful dynamics even within white spaces. We can’t ignore how white communities are often fractured by the very hierarchies they claim to dismantle in allyship efforts. This is why true allyship needs to begin within. When white communities don’t confront their own internal “power over” structures, any attempts at allyship become fragile—grounded in a model of dominance rather than true solidarity.
But understanding “power over” is only the first step. To foster true allyship, we must move toward “power with.” Today, we’ll examine what “power with” looks like and how white communities can transition from control to collaboration, from hierarchy to solidarity. Let’s dive into how this shift can foster a real sense of community and build a foundation for authentic, liberatory allyship.
In my previous article, “Allyship or Power Play? Unpacking the Legacy of ‘Power Over’ in Whiteness,” we explored how “power over” has shaped the dynamics of white allyship and supremacy culture. “Power over” is rooted in hierarchical control—a holdover from centuries of feudalism, Christianization, and capitalism that has embedded itself into modern systems.
Consider, for instance, the way some individuals may approach allyship as an outward declaration. We see gestures like the blue bracelet movement, signaling safety to Black and brown communities, yet these same spaces often fail to address the biases, competition, and control that still shape them internally. This approach of “inviting in” without creating a space that’s truly safe and collaborative only reinforces the very structures they seek to oppose.
True allyship isn’t just about standing with others; it’s about fundamentally changing the dynamics of power that shape how we interact, support, and build community. In many white spaces, allyship is still tangled up in the very thing it seeks to oppose: “power over.” Whether in personal interactions, workplaces, or broader social dynamics, there’s a tendency to approach allyship with a sense of hierarchy rather than genuine collaboration.
Social Hierarchies Within Whiteness: The Pyramid Scheme
In The Hidden Costs of Whiteness: A Pyramid Scheme Analysis, I examined how whiteness operates much like a pyramid scheme, where certain white-bodied people gain power, wealth, or status while others are pushed to the margins. For example, poor, queer, disabled, or non-Christian white individuals often face the same systems of exclusion that supremacy culture enforces on marginalized groups. Within whiteness, we see a constant scramble for proximity to the top, encouraging people to align with control rather than community.
In white communities, the pyramid structure discourages solidarity, even among each other. Systems of oppression like capitalism and patriarchy keep individuals competing rather than connecting. This is why shifting to “power with” requires dismantling these systems within white spaces first, so that when allyship is offered to others, it’s grounded in genuine partnership and solidarity.
But what does it mean to shift from “power over” to “power with”? Let’s break down how moving away from these hierarchical structures can open the door to real, transformative solidarity within white communities.