From Apathy to Allyship: Does Discrimination Awareness Received From Cross-Race Friends Facilitate Racial Allyship at Work?

Leveraging theories from the friendship, contact, and collective action literatures we examine the effects of a unique learning function of cross-race friendships—discrimination awareness—on workplace allyship. Using field and experimental designs, we found that this function of cross-race friendships creates a sense of moral outrage that motivates Whites to engage in and support allyship at work. This function predicted allyship behaviors and was resilient to ally risk, which reflects organizational sanctions for voicing concerns about racism. Robustness tests showed that other forms of interracial contact (positive/negative contact; residential, family, and work group diversity) had little effect on allyship and the effects of this friendship function held when we controlled for them. This function also contributed explanatory power beyond individual differences in race-related ideologies and personality traits, such as social dominance orientation and beliefs in the malleability of prejudice. The relationship lens offered here brings new theoretical traction to the field of allyship and illustrates the potential of cross-race friendships as sources of learning and agents for organizational change.