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What White Women Can Do Now
White women have a major role to play in reducing racism. Writer Tikia Hamilton breaks down the history of white women allyship in this insightful essay that previously published in ZORA magazine. White women back in the day were key agitators for positive social change. This model, history shows, can be replicated today.
Here’s an excerpt: “During the 1930s and early 1940s, the 4 million women who worked under the auspices of the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL) helped bring greater attention to lynching. The organization was comprised solely of middle- and upper-class White women who believed they should play a critical role in helping to impact popular opinion against the diabolical practice. As allegations of rape and sexual assault against White women frequently served as a pretext for mob action against Blacks, they exerted pressure on local law enforcement, the media, churches, and political leaders to stem the practice. The organization’s conservative position on states’ rights led them to oppose a federal anti-lynching bill, exposing some of the group’s limitations as allies. However, along with the ongoing efforts of the NAACP, perhaps ASWPL also contributed to a reduction in lynchings going forward.”
