What does it mean to be an ally? More specifically, what does it mean to do the work of allyship in support of Black young people and families? As educators, researchers, and practitioners in the child and youth care field, we seek to initiate a conversation pertaining to the epistemological make-up of child and youth care practice and the movement towards persistent and intentional solidarity work as a framework for cross-racial engagement. Through a series of critical questions, this paper seeks to deconstruct the taken-for-granted practices of White Eurocentric allyship in favour of a new vision for the future of solidarity work with African-descended children, youth, and their communities.

<p>Child and youth care (CYC) is a field that has ostensibly grown from the collective wisdom of adults and young people from diverse cultures of the world. In actuality, however, much of our field’s wisdom— its ­ theories, values, literature, and leading voices— is ­ based largely upon European and North American traditions that prescribe a relatively narrow and White conceptualization of CYC as a field of practice. In spite of claims of diversity, multiculturalism, or cultural competency, the mainstream orthodoxy of our field continues to police the boundaries of “authentic” CYC theory and practice, which subtly and invisibly reinforce colonial, White, Euro-­ American ways of knowing, doing, and being, and idealize colour-­ blind liberal ideologies and depoliticized, professionalized relational practice. Disappointingly, efforts to disturb the White elephant in our classrooms, conferences, workplaces, and other shared spaces are often met with deflection, denial, despair, and anger— ­especially when the issues pertain to anti-­ Black racism.<br> <em>Child and Youth Care Across Sectors, Volume 2 : Canadian Perspectives</em>, edited by Kiaras Gharabaghi, and Grant Charles, Canadian Scholars, 2020. <em>ProQuest Ebook Central</em>, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ryerson/detail.action?docID=6413911.<br> Created from ryerson on 2023-06-19 14:42:40. </p>

<p>Child and youth care (CYC) is a field that has ostensibly grown from the collective wisdom of adults and young people from diverse cultures of the world. In actuality, however, much of our field’s wisdom— its ­ theories, values, literature, and leading voices— is ­ based largely upon European and North American traditions that prescribe a relatively narrow and White conceptualization of CYC as a field of practice. In spite of claims of diversity, multiculturalism, or cultural competency, the mainstream orthodoxy of our field continues to police the boundaries of “authentic” CYC theory and practice, which subtly and invisibly reinforce colonial, White, Euro-­ American ways of knowing, doing, and being, and idealize colour-­ blind liberal ideologies and depoliticized, professionalized relational practice. Disappointingly, efforts to disturb the White elephant in our classrooms, conferences, workplaces, and other shared spaces are often met with deflection, denial, despair, and anger— ­especially when the issues pertain to anti-­ Black racism.<br> <em>Child and Youth Care Across Sectors, Volume 2 : Canadian Perspectives</em>, edited by Kiaras Gharabaghi, and Grant Charles, Canadian Scholars, 2020. <em>ProQuest Ebook Central</em>, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ryerson/detail.action?docID=6413911.<br> Created from ryerson on 2023-06-19 14:42:40. </p>

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