I listened to Emmanuel Acho’s book, “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” this past week. It’s been on my “to read” list for a hot minute, and I finally had some downtime during a recent trip. I wish I would have listened to it sooner.

I will admit that I struggle with how to be an effective ally. What really helped me get over that was a list. In Acho’s book, he shared a link in chapter 14 a link on Medium by Corinne Shutak titled “106 ways white people can do for racial justice” and another Vice article by Rachel Miller, “How to talk to relatives who care more about looting than black lives” that helps with this. The articles and book discuss further the risks facing white allies. They might be ostracism or friction with loved ones. “When you say you are an ally, you are willing to risk your white privileges in the name of justice and equality for marginalized voices.” Being an ally means showing up. It means doing something.

On Corinne Shutak’s list, I was immediately drawn to item #14. Support black businesses. She linked to a site, “We Buy Black,” and all products are black-owned businesses. So I ordered some health products (vitamins) instead of just going to the big box store to pick some up. While it’s a small effort, it is doing something.

Taking that further in the leadership of my career, I encourage my staff to consider the diversity of the vendors we use regularly. I tell them to think about whether we can support a small minority business rather than a big box store when we need something like bulk printing, catering, polling, and research services or someone to provide services and supplies for the maintenance of our headquarters building.

Bottomline: just do something. Encourage others to do something. Start by reading (listening) to the book.