Don’t Erase People, and Other Actions for Allies

Each week, Karen Catlin shares five simple actions to create a more inclusive workplace and be a better ally.

1. Don’t erase people

As reported by the BBC, school photography firm Tempest took pictures at a primary school in Scotland of a class with and without students with complex needs. Parents and caregivers found both options when they viewed the link to purchase photos.

One parent explained, “To think that those children have any less of a right to actually be in these pictures, to be part of their community, to be part of their class, is really disappointing.” She added, “If a photographer thinks that it’s okay [to leave out children with complex needs], I feel that there’s education that needs to go on everywhere about inclusion.”

Disability rights activist Emily Ladau posted this BBC story on Threads, adding, “I used to worry constantly that my wheelchair was ‘messing up’ photos. But you know what messes up photos? Discrimination and exclusion wielded as some kind of attempt at revisionist history.”

Erasure can also happen when someone hijacks another’s idea. Or claims credit for a project without mentioning contributors. Or ignores suggestions people make in meetings and shared documents. Or dismisses someone’s concerns or experiences.

Allies, let’s make sure people aren’t erased from the picture, literally and figuratively.

Share this action on LinkedIn, on Instagram, or on Threads.

2. Use inclusive images

Lindley Ashline is a photographer, writer, and activist who advocates for body liberation and celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional “beauty” standards. In a recent interview with Authority Magazine, she shared the backstory of how she came to do this work and discussed how to create more inclusive communities.

Ashline also addressed the question: If you could start a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?

“If I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about the world we live in, I’d switch all the stock photos — the images we see all around us on social media, billboards, in magazines, and on the sides of buses — to photos that represent the true, beautiful range of human body diversity.” Ashline emphasized, “When we’re all represented, we all win in so many ways.”

Allies, consider the messages you send wherever you use imagery. In discussion forums, presentations, social media posts, marketing brochures, and websites. Are you reinforcing unhelpful and perhaps harmful stereotypes, such as the prototypical doctor being an older white man, the most innovative engineers being young dudes wearing hoodies, or that only thin people belong in your organization? Or are you taking the opportunity to showcase diversity and inclusion?

To help people explore inclusive collections of stock photos and illustrations, I’ve listed several of my favorites at betterallies.com/photos. (I recently updated it to include Ashline’s Body Liberation Stock site.)

And if you’re using AI to generate images, consider this message from designer Jerlyn O’Donnell. In a video for Women Who AI, they pointed out, “There are no excuses any more about not being able to source an illustration or representation of a woman or a diverse group. AI can be used to generate illustrations, video, and text that represents a wider range of body types, skin colors, and cultures. It can help challenge stereotypes and create a more inclusive visual landscape.”

One last thing: Remember to describe your images using alt-text for people using screen readers. I appreciate this guide on how to write meaningful descriptions from the New York City’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. (Thanks to Tiffany Yu, the CEO & Founder at Diversability, who told me about this resource.) Or use AI to write a first draft.

3. Ask “What makes you say that?”

A client told me they’d overheard someone in the cafeteria commenting that “people should speak English here at work” when hearing two coworkers speaking a different language at lunch. They asked what they could have done to serve as an ally for multilingual colleagues.

As I learned from Dr. Suzanne Wertheim’s newsletter, we often change how we speak during the course of the day. “For a monolingual speaker in their 20s, this may look like a more formal style with their boss, a more casual style but with no cursing with a grandparent, and a more casual style with lots of slang, cursing, and in-jokes with a close friend.”

And multilingual people may move in and out of multiple languages. They might speak English during a business meeting or when talking to someone who doesn’t speak their first language, but then move to their first language when that feels appropriate.

Wertheim explained that when people move in and out of their first language, “It’s just speaking appropriately, in a way that feels natural, using styles from a multilingual repertoire instead of a monolingual one.” There’s nothing wrong with it.

Now, back to my client’s question about how to serve as an ally. After summarizing these points from Wertheim, I suggested they ask, “What makes you say that?” to the person commenting about their coworkers. In other words, be curious about their concerns and start a conversation about them.

I also suggested adding, “Why don’t we ask if we can sit with them for lunch?” After all, it seems like a beautiful opportunity to get to know these colleagues better.

4. Stop telling women to play small

On LinkedIn, Erin Gallager wrote a post that started with:

“Stop telling women to play small.
On and off the court.
In and out of their careers.”

Gallager went on to describe some messages the media is pushing about Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa basketball player who recently became the all-time top scorer in Division I women’s and men’s college basketball. That she should stop playing to the crowd. That she needs to calm down. That she should be less emotional.

As Hawk Fanatic sports reporter Pat Harty explained, “There is so little to criticize about Caitlin Clark’s game, so now the focus has shifted to her emotional outbursts to tear her down.”

Media and trolls are also trying to tear down another top player in women’s college basketball, LSU’s Angel Reese. As USA Today reported, people have attacked and threatened her for “just doing what basketball players, male and female, have been doing since the game began.”

Allies, let’s focus on women’s contributions and their impact. And push back on anyone insisting they “play small.”

5. Avoid classism

I learn from subscribers to my newsletter regularly, and last week was no different.

After I wrote about being an owner, not a renter, I heard from some of you about the inherent bias and privilege in the analogy. Just because someone doesn’t have the financial means to own a home doesn’t mean they’re irresponsible or lazy. Renting is often a result of financial necessity rather than a lack of problem-solving ability.

I should have spotted the bias before writing about it in my newsletter, but I didn’t. It’s an example of classism, which Merriam-Webster defines as “a belief that a person’s social or economic station in society determines their value in that society.”

Moving forward, I’ll be more aware of classism in my words and actions. If you’re not already doing this, please join me.

That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.

— Karen Catlin (she/her), author of the Better Allies® book series

Copyright © 2024 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

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