Allison Gaines on Step by Step Guide to Ditching Your Racist Relatives and Friends

Writer and #WEOC founder Allison Gaines discusses her article about the steps towards disengaging with relatives and friends.

Allison Gaines speaks

Allison Gaines is one of my favorite writers on Medium.com. She has a way of breaking down complex issues in a concise and straightforward manner. Medium sent me one of her articles today titled “Step by Step Guide to Ditching Your Racist Relatives and Friends.” I immediately DMed her about appearing on Politics Done Right. She kindly obliged.

Here is a snippet from her article.

‘m going to give it to you straight. Ditching your racist relatives or friends is not easy. It is one of the most challenging aspects of fighting a good fight. However, when we consider social influence, we have the most sway over those close to us. So, how do we distance ourselves from racists? Let’s unpack this.

First things first, before ditching anyone from your roster, you need to check your values. As the Jim Crow Museum curator wrote, “We believe that prejudice and discrimination directed toward any group is wrong and must be opposed.” If you are on the same page, feel free to proceed. If not, the steps that follow may be too advanced. I recommend reading more about the lived experiences of Black people, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups. For those of you that realize that prejudice and discrimination are fundamentally wrong, your values are aligned — you’re good to go.

Check out the entire interview. I learned from it. I am sure you will as well.