A Guide for White Allies as Witnesses in Resistance - Do’s and Don’ts

As a White ally, remember that you are present as a witness, not a protagonist. Your task is to amplify, protect, and follow the leadership of directly impacted people. Here are some helpful “do’s” and “don’ts” to ensure that directly impacted communities and their leaders are centered in marches, protests, and gatherings as you bear witness in solidarity.

DO’s AND DON’Ts 

DO

• Do follow leadership of directly impacted people. Take your cues, verbal and nonverbal, from BIPOC organizers, leaders, and clergy. Let their strategy, pace, and tone guide your presence as a participant.

• Do use your body and privilege for protection, not attention. Stand where organizers ask you to stand and form safety buffers when requested. Your role is to create space, not occupy it.

• Do amplify messages, not reinterpret them. Share the words, demands, and stories of directly impacted people exactly as they express them. Use your platforms to echo, not edit.

• Do practice spiritual humility. Arrive prayed up, grounded, and ready to listen more than you speak. Let your discipleship show through quiet courage, not public performance. Continue to pray silently for the safety of the attendees and organizers.

• Do intervene with other White people when necessary. If you see White participants centering themselves, escalating tension, antagonizing law enforcement, or ignoring organizer instructions, redirect them firmly so BIPOC leaders don’t have to.

DON’T

• Don’t take the mic unless you are invited. No impromptu speeches, no “adding context,” no stepping in to explain. You are the witness of the story, not the narrator.

• Don’t treat the rally as a personal awakening moment. Avoid tearful displays, confessions, or processing in the public space. Save that for your own private time outside of the event.

• Don’t police the emotions or strategies of directly impacted people. It is not your role to decide what is “appropriate,” “effective,” or “Christlike” for those living under harmful policies.

• Don’t escalate conflict with law enforcement or counter protesters. Follow deescalation protocols and instructions given to you by the organizers. Acting on impulse can endanger those with far more at stake.‑protesters.‑escalation protocols

• Don’t center your safety concerns over the community’s goals. Be aware of your risk level, but don’t use discomfort as a reason to withdraw or override the strategy of impacted leaders.

As an ally, your witness is an act of discipleship measured not by visibility but by solidarity. You show up not to lead, but to follow; not to speak over, but to amplify; not to be seen, but to help create space for collective liberation. You are called to witness with humility, courage, and care at the margins, where God is already at work.