Phase Three: Integration

Integration is what propels us through the cycle and into new ways of being. Integration is what allows us to grow and become in ways we otherwise would not have been able. Integration is a culmination of our Awareness through Action. And it is also a beginning.

It can look like moments when you catch yourself in a behavior or way of thinking. It can look like beginning to challenge yourself as you initiate Action. Once you begin this work Integration is always in play.

Integration is a gradual process that requires a relationship with The Five Tenets and a willingness to allow the unfolding to happen at its own pace. Integration is not an endpoint.

Bringing it Together

So often, allyship is seen as a big event. In actuality, it is a constant, daily tackling of small events executed by individuals working alone and together.

Active-Allyship might seem like a tall order, a huge request, and it is. Remember, though, change is not always a major movement. Sometimes, it is a steady erosion of ignorance. When we aim high, constantly making large movements against those who are entrenched in the center of privilege, we guarantee our exhaustion. By starting in our circle of friends, in our communities, in our schools, we change the minds and actions of our local circles. They, in turn, will bring change to their circles, and outward and outward.

Active-Allyship becomes a way of being. It asks us to remain willing to engage with the awareness of our privileges, to challenge our implicit biases, and to use an intersectional lens in the process of actions we take.