Author: Allyship in Action

[Animal Village, also known as Smith Rock, on New Year's Day, 2020. Photo Credit: Dana Gulley] When Allyship in Action (AiA) was officially formed in 2019 by founding partners, LeeAnn, Erin, and Kerani, we took a big leap into the unknown while staying grounded in our values of intersectionality, collective liberation, and connection to place. … Continue reading Welcoming Dana Gulley

Image of sun and beams of light streaming through blue sky above a wooden bridge at First Street Rapids along the Deschutes River. Sunshine is reflecting off water below bridge and trees are along the riverbank. This dreary, pandemic spring left us dreaming of sunshine and community. While waiting for summer to arrive, we spent a … Continue reading Belonging.

[Photo credit: Central Oregon Peacekeepers] Those who know about Allyship in Action (AiA) may be most familiar with us as a company or name. Behind the name, we are two non-Black, women of color living in Central Oregon who partner with a team of consultants with different lived experiences and identities. The formal work we … Continue reading Justice for Barry Washington, Jr.

As we enter the end of a long smoky Central Oregon summer with the promise of crisp fall evenings on the horizon, Allyship in Action is also in a season of change, transition, and regrounding.  Three years ago, a group of community members dedicated to social justice came together informally to provide an anti-oppression and … Continue reading A Season of Change, Transition, and Regrounding at Allyship in Action

Territory acknowledgments are on the rise by organizations and for opening meetings in order to acknowledge whose territory you are currently occupying. Do you know whose territory your home sits on? Your business? Your child's school? Your doctors office? Or even the Forest Service lands? I can guarantee the lands of which you drive home … Continue reading A Perspective On Territory Acknowledgments By Jaylyn Suppah

As the Bend City Council prepares to select the members of its inaugural Human Rights and Equity Commission (HREC), we have noticed some questions about the process and Allyship in Action’s involvement. We’d like to clarify our role and encourage folks to reach out to the City with any questions or concerns. AiA was contracted … Continue reading Bend’s Human Rights and Equity Commission (HREC)

Allyship in Action has been waiting for collective community action and it has finally arrived. Our company was born as a labor of love to change the dialogue around the value of the equity and social justice work we were constantly being asked to do for free. Until recently, the requests would trickle in and … Continue reading Why now and what is required to make transformative social change

[This blog post was originally published in April 2020] In times of crisis, it is natural to shift into survival mode. We narrow our focus and direct our resources toward protecting ourselves and our loved ones. But no one is safe unless we are all safe. The COVID-19 pandemic makes clear that inequity and injustice … Continue reading An open letter to our community during the coronavirus pandemic

Our dream for Allyship in Action is to support a collaborative of independent consultants whose expertise and lived experiences complement and support each other in our collective liberation. Since we each can only speak from our individual experiences and we cannot speak for all communities most impacted by current systems of inequity, we rely on … Continue reading Introducing Our Team of Independent Consultants!

Where and when this journey began depends on whom you ask. But this March, we made it official. Three Central Oregonians -- Kerani Mitchell, LeeAnn O’Neill, and Erin Rook -- came together to develop and support a collaborative of Central Oregon consultants committed to engaging individuals, organizations, and communities to advance equity and social justice … Continue reading It’s Official!