‘Allyship … is a path for everyone to contribute to diversity and inclusion’

During a family dinner about five years ago, Jason Rosenberg’s older daughter told her family that her middle school was starting an after-school pride club the next day and that she’d be attending the first meeting.

“I was a little taken off-guard by that big news,” Rosenberg, Exchange Chief Operating Officer and Diversity Council Chair, told nearly 200 Exchange teammates during a virtual BRIDGE Black History Month “chew and learn” event Wednesday morning. “We wanted to know if there was something she was trying to tell us. … She went on to explain to us that she’s joining the club as an ally, and she explained to my wife and me and her sister what that meant.”

This was the first time he heard of the concept of being an ally, Rosenberg said during his talk, which was linked to Black History Month but covered broader topics centering on diversity, inclusion and allyship.

From his daughter, he learned about allyship and how it can grow. After the first meeting, she told her family that the attendance was three people—two members of the LGBTQI+ community and herself. But she was confident that the club would grow.

“She said she knew many of her classmates in the LGBTQI community, and she knew that they would join the club,” Rosenberg said. “Her role would be to join the club, and her role would be to make them feel safe and welcome. This was a super-simple thing. She just wanted to be there for her friends and show support, and she knew that it was not easy for them to come out on their journey.”

His daughter’s experience sparked Rosenberg’s interest in allyship, which was a central point of his talk, which underscored its importance at the Exchange.

“Allyship is not just a powerful D&I tool, it’s a pathway for just about everyone to contribute to diversity and inclusion,” Rosenberg said.

Every associate has the ability to be an ally.

“White women can be allies to people of color,” he said. “Men can be allies to women. Straight people can be allies to members of the LGBTQI+ community. Able-bodied people can be allies to those with different abilities. Young people can be allies to older people and vice versa.”

Rosenberg emphasized that deeds are more important than words in making change in culture.

“By connecting with people who are different from you, you can learn about their struggles and help make your workplace environment fair and more welcoming,” he said. “That form of outreach, effort and empowerment is what allyship is all about.”

Rosenberg listed some things that associates at all levels can do to be better allies and work toward true allyship:

1. Be an advocate for others. “This can take many forms in the workplace,” Rosenberg said. “From simply being warm and welcoming to a co-worker regardless of their background or ethnicity and doing your part to make them successful.”
2. Stand up against injustice. “Allies don’t just talk, they take action to improve the workplace. Whether they overhear a micro-aggression or an inappropriate joke, or they notice a colleague using the wrong verbiage to refer to someone, they’ll stand up to address and ensure that type of behavior, even if it’s unintentional, is just not welcome in the workplace. Workplace allies aren’t afraid to speak up even if it makes them uncomfortable or threatens the status quo.”
3. Give credit where credit is due. “As an ally, your role is to help amplify and magnify, and that means the efforts of all of our teammates. This can help your employees feel heard and valued, and it reminds senior leaders to pay attention to their efforts.”
4. Share the spotlight. “If someone calls you to share details on a project your team is running, pass the question on to a team member, perhaps from an underrepresented group, so they can show their contributions and get face time with senior leadership.”
5. Educate yourself. “Strong allies know they need to put themselves out of their comfort zones and learn more about the experiences of others who don’t look like them. Engage with folks who don’t look like you. This can take the form of doing your own research. You can read a book, listen to a podcast. You can also engage with members of marginalized groups to understand what it’s like being in their shoes.”
6. “Simply being able to listen is an important skill of a strong ally. You have to be open and willing to believe others and validate their feelings and know when to let someone have the floor and just listen.”
7. Be human. “If you mess up on your quest to be a workplace ally, just own it. Apologize if you need to apologize and move on. Promise yourself to do better next time. We’re all learning in this process.”
8. Show up. “185 of you showed up for this call. This is another form of momentum that we have in our D&I efforts. I’d like to get a commitment from all of you to take our D&I efforts to the next level in 2023.”

Rosenberg encouraged attendees to show up for other EEODI lunch-and-learns and other events, as well as for in-person events such as Dallas’ Veterans Day parade in November and its PRIDE Parade in June.

“Anywhere we can plug in as allies, let’s show up in big numbers,” Rosenberg said. “Let’s make 2023 the best year ever and really continue to move that needle. Allyship is a lifelong journey and fight. Making the world and the workplace an equal place is a fight that can’t be won overnight. While these steps can get you started on your journey as an ally in the workplace, the hard work is up to you.”

Rosenberg’s talk was presented by special emphasis group BRIDGE (Building Resources in Diversity Growth of Employees). Marla Randolph, Senior Vice President for Europe/Southwest Asia/Africa region, and Denise Hunter, Vice President, Corporate Policy, are co-executive champions.

If you have any questions about BRIDGE, please contact Judy Hathaway, Program Manager, at hathawayj@aafes.com.

If you’d like to learn more about the Exchange’s special emphasis groups, please click here, or here to join.

To learn more about Black History Month and the “Inspiring Change” theme, click here.

In case you missed Rosenberg’s talk, you can view it here.