The centering of whiteness in allyship scholarship perpetuates a racial binary of Black and white while neglecting the significant role people of color play in this conversation. This becomes abundantly clear when you search “scholarship on people of color’s allyship,” and are overwhelmed with thousands of articles emphasizing the keywords: white allyship, white allies, and how to become an anti-racist white ally. Collaboration between communities of color addressing the layers of identities is a necessary part of allyship that goes heavily unseen and unwritten. As an Asian woman of color, I have my share of experiences surviving in a white-supremacist patriarchal society as well as forms of resistance. It is still my responsibility as an ally of color to recognize the layers of other women of color’s oppression. How a person consumes media and engages in its dialogue is a significant aspect of this work. Using an intersectional approach I analyzed Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade as a woman of color who connects to the material through shared emotions and the collective goal of destroying the white supremacist heteropatriarchy, while synchronously examining my allyship to Black women. I pose the question: how can women of color actively practice allyship for other women of color through their consumption and decoding of Beyoncé’s Lemonade?
About the presenterMeghan McKinley
Meghan McKinley is a senior at Bowling Green State University majoring in Ethnic Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies. Her work focuses on empowering women of color and creating solidarity through activism and performing arts. On campus she worked as a community organizer and also launched the Asian Student Union. She intends to continue her studies in graduate school. Meghan spends her free time enjoying musical theatre and taking care of her cat Hilda.