Don’t leave those most affected to do all the heavy lifting.

“These moments where you kind of have to explain the necessity of certain hashtags or certain movements, they’re really great opportunities for our allies to step in, because that’s a really unfair position for communities of color to be placed in. On top of the fact that we’re already enduring this injustice, then we also have to continue asserting our humanity to people and trying to prove to them and convince them why they should care about our rights, too. That’s really unfair. ” — Amani Al-Khatahtbeh

Be willing to get your hands dirty.

“For me, when I’m thinking about people who I want as my comrades and co-conspirators — because I think ‘ally’ is a little distant — I actually need some people in the trenches with me in that foxhole — so I need the people that are willing to put their bodies on the line and willing to get called out and stand there right with me… Those are the people who are doing the righteous work. The people who really understand that they will not be free if each and every one of us will not be free.” — Jamia Wilson

Acknowledge that you might be benefitting from the system, even if you don't want to be.

“I think it’s obviously really hard, because nobody wants to admit that [they benefit from white privilege], but the only way change is going to happen is if white people start doing that and reflecting on how they can change that. It’s hard to separate yourself from the conversation and not feel like you’re declaring yourself a racist or being called a racist. But it’s really important for white people to listen in all of these conversations… To be able to accept that you do benefit from white privilege on a daily basis, whether you wake up choosing to or not.” — Seamus Kirst

Remember that it’s a community problem.

“This is something that we need to remember: There are race relations, there is racism in America that goes back generations. People who are alive still remember how things were for them when they were not allowed to go into certain places. We cannot ignore this. We also cannot ignore the fact that, again, people are — police officers are — recruited from these communities." — Maria (Maki) Haberfeld, professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Watch the whole R29 Dialogue below.