Why Performative Allyship Undermines Trust

Performative allyship refers to superficial actions or statements that signal support for marginalised groups without genuine commitment or meaningful follow-through. Often driven by a desire to enhance one’s image or avoid criticism, it lacks real effort to address systemic inequities or create lasting change. Examples include making symbolic gestures, such as social media posts, without engaging in substantive advocacy or using one’s privilege to drive tangible progress. Performative allyship can undermine trust and progress, as it prioritises appearances over authentic allyship that challenges inequitable structures and amplifies marginalised voices.

🚨 Beware of Performative DEI Leadership 🚨 After May 2020, when George Floyd was murdered and the footage went viral, we saw a surge of people adopting titles in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Many jumped on the trend without doing the real work—without understanding the deep systemic issues, without studying the history, without engaging in the communities they claimed to serve. Now, in 2025, we are seeing the consequences. Companies are backtracking, DEI roles are being eliminated, and employees—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—are experiencing more harm than help. Why? Because performative leadership is dangerous. 🔍 Real DEI leaders: ✅ Have done the work long before 2020. ✅ Continue to educate themselves daily. ✅ Understand that DEI is about systemic change, not optics. ✅ Measure impact beyond surface-level initiatives. 📉 The Data Doesn’t Lie: • In 2020, corporate America pledged $50 billion toward racial equity efforts—by 2023, only 7% of that was actually spent on real initiatives. • A 2023 report found that over 30% of DEI roles were cut as companies faced economic downturns, exposing the lack of real commitment. • Employee trust in corporate DEI efforts dropped from 52% in 2021 to 38% in 2023, according to a McKinsey study. So, what qualifies someone to do this work? Not just their race! Not just a title. Real DEI leaders are those who have spent years—decades—understanding organizational change, challenging bias, and advocating for equity when it was neither trendy nor profitable. If you’re in DEI, ask yourself: Are you truly building lasting change, or were you just handed a title? Argue with yo momma! But facts are facts. #DEI #Leadership #RealWork #NotJustATitle #DoTheWork #MrsKeshSpeaks

Words without action aren’t just meaningless — they’re harmful. We see it on International Women's Day - companies "celebrating their women" while sustaining a 20% gender pay gap. We see it during Pride Month - businesses turning their logos rainbow colours then dropping their DEI targets and LGBTQ+ partners. We see it during Black History Month - organisations spotlight black talent with zero black representation at board or c-suite level. We see it during every neurodiversity and disability awareness event - social media posts celebrating difference from companies who refuse to make adjustments for those differences. Performative marketing erodes trust. It’s not enough to change your logo or post a hashtag. We've literally had enough. We see right through it. Your values have to run deeper than your campaigns. If you can't walk the walk, don't bother talking the talk. But if you get it right - if you live your values and communicate them well, it can be a gamechanger. The brands who weave inclusion, equity, and real social value into everything they do - not because it’s trendy, but because it’s who they are - those are the brands that build true connection. Those are the businesses people support, recommend, and stay loyal to. Your values don’t have to be perfect. But they do have to be lived. And your marketing can be one of the most powerful ways to show it. If you want your values to be the golden thread that runs through everything you - your people, your operations, your messaging - let's do it properly.

The fundamental unit of allyship is a high-trust relationship across difference, not an isolated intervention conducted in a vacuum. Here's why. Throughout my entire career I've seen a disconnect between how we define #allyship and how we experience it. We say (and I've done this myself too) that allyship is "taking action to advocate or benefit people from social groups you are not a part of," and yet when we think about allyship in action, the examples we can think of don't always look like that. I have rarely seen a stranger step in to correct someone misgendering or making an offensive comment to a person they don't know. I have rarely seen a stranger advocate to benefit a group they don't interact with. What I have seen, many times, is people who trust each other having each other's backs, advocating for each other's causes, and working alongside each other on making change. What I have seen, many times, is people who have a close relationship with a community participating in the community, advocating for its causes, and working alongside it on making change. It's the trust from a person and a community that makes someone an ally, not the self-assigned label after a few disconnected acts of do-gooding. That trust is only built, if it's built at all, through earnest efforts to get to know someone beyond a transactional relationship and the empathy to care about someone's wellbeing other than your own. It's only built through repeated action that demonstrates that someone is willing to go out of their way to work and fight for your benefit or the benefit of a community without any expectation of debt owed, because they've built that relationship of mutual care. But if we start thinking of allyship as the high-trust relationships, rather than the isolated actions, we have to realize at some point that our one-hour "allyship behaviors" workshops that turn allyship into yet another individualistic self-help tool aren't ever going to work. 💞 What we should be teaching are emotional intelligence, empathy, and relational skills that help people build relationships. 🛠️ What we should be building are opportunities for people to collaborate effectively and get to know each other personally and professionally. 🤝🏽 What we should be investing in is community connection across many dimensions of difference to build relationships of mutual benefit. What emerges from this work done right isn't better-informed individuals in a vacuum. It's stronger relationships, stronger communities, and stronger trust, that we all draw from to work alongside each other for a better world. That's how we need to understand allyship if we want it to succeed.

Let’s talk about something quietly and uncomfortable: Performative Allyship. Not the loud kind. Not the flag-waving or hashtag-heavy kind. The subtle kind. The kind that looks like support… but still protects comfort, control, or reputation. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been refining the Performative Ally persona. Not to point fingers — but to hold up a mirror. Because for many people who care — really care — this is where they get stuck. Not in hate. Not in harm. But in performance over presence. This is not about blame. It’s about clarity. It’s about asking — quietly and honestly — “Is what I’m doing helping… or just being seen to be helping?” So here’s the invitation, reflect on the Performative Ally persona and see if anything aligns with you and if it does.. that doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you honest. And from honesty, we grow. Performative allyship is something we’ve all brushed up against. This isn’t an autopsy. It’s a diagnostic. Something you can change. The real work begins when we move from: 1. Performing proximity → to Practising presence. 2. Saying the right thing → to Doing the hard thing 3. Knowing better → to Showing up differently I created the Performative Ally persona as a tool for growth — for leaders, colleagues, facilitators, and friends. It’s not a label. It’s a checkpoint. One that asks: Is your allyship safe for mob… or just safe for you? And if you’re ready to move from awareness into action — I’d love to walk with you. #BlakIgnited #IndigenousAllyship #PerformativeAllyship #CulturalSafety #ReconciliACTION #LeadershipWithHeart #EmotionalIntelligence #TruthTelling #OrganisationalChange #RelationalAccountability

😡 Enough. I can't hold my tongue any longer. To those suddenly "checking in" on Black and Brown colleagues: Where was this energy before? Does it take Black and Brown bodies in the streets for you to speak up? ❤️ I don't want your performative LinkedIn posts. I don't need your private messages or colored heart emojis. I want action. 💙 You can't be "unintentionally" anti-racist. To be anti-racist is to be pro-human. What are you doing DAILY for the racialized staff in your company? 🌊 Don't show me a tweet. Don't update your dusty anti-racist webpage from 2020. Your staff know the truth - you're doing NOTHING for your Black and Brown employees. We see through your performative actions. They don't help. They harm. I'd rather you stay silent so we know which companies to avoid. Your daily denial and neglect of racialized staff needs IS racism. When you evade responsibility, you enable oppression. You MUST take effective action against structural racism. 🌊 Let me be clear: Culturally attuned mental health support for racialized employees isn't a luxury or a perk. It's a necessity. Happiworkers' proven anti-racist approach equips companies with racial literacy to retain diverse talent. But it's on YOU to commit to real change. No more excuses. No more performative allyship. Take action now, or admit you're part of the problem. #AntiRacism #WorkplaceEquity #RacialJustice #MentalHealthMatters