How To Move From Ally To Accomplice

Forbes

2 days ago

From Ally to Accomplice: How to Lead as a Fierce Antiracist by Seena Hodges
In From Ally to Accomplice, Seena Hodges pushes the reader to move beyond their comfort zone to do deeper work and take risks in supporting anti-racism. Hodges is the founder and CEO of The Woke Coach and leads anti-racist programming and trainings for clients inside and out of higher education. Her clients include Red Wing Shoe Company, the Walker Arts Center, and the University of Minnesota, among many others.
I reached out to her to learn more about her perspectives, especially amid the current backlash against anything considered 'woke' or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) focused.
I wanted to know what inspired her to write her new book and how her personal and professional experiences shaped the book's message. Hodges shared, 'From Ally to Accomplice was born out of both urgency and a deep desire to help people move from intention to impact in their racial equity work. Over the years, I've seen many well-meaning individuals—especially white folks—who want to make a difference but don't know how, or are afraid of getting it wrong. Too often, allyship becomes a title people claim rather than a practice rooted in accountability and risk.'
Hodges has spent much of her career facilitating conversations during which discomfort is necessary to spur transformation. She explained, 'I wrote this book to offer a path forward that's honest and accessible. It doesn't sugarcoat the work but doesn't shame people out of trying.' She added, 'My goal was to invite people beyond performative allyship into something deeper: a daily commitment to action, reflection, and systemic change.' Hodges included stories and insights in the book that are part of her experience as a Black woman in the U.S. She also shared stories of the many people she has worked with throughout her career.
One of the book's central themes, which I was eager to unpack with Hodges, is the distinction between ally and accomplice. I was interested in how she defines accomplice in the context of racial equity work and why the shift is critical. She explained, 'An ally can—and often does—opt in and out. It's conditional. It's comfortable. It's often about optics.'
On the other hand, according to Hodges, 'An accomplice takes risks. An accomplice puts skin in the game. They leverage their privilege to dismantle the very systems that benefit them, even when it costs them something: status, relationships, professional opportunities.' She believes this shift is essential because 'racism isn't polite. It isn't passive.' Hodges thinks that dismantling racism requires more than 'hashtags and book clubs.' Instead, it requires courageous and continual action. For her, 'Being an accomplice means understanding that liberation is collective—and none of us are free until all of us are.'
Hodges is deeply invested in this work's emotional terrain, particularly the role of discomfort. I asked her how people can navigate this discomfort productively, without retreating or becoming defensive. She shared, 'Discomfort is not the enemy—it's the teacher. When we feel that gut punch of guilt, shame, or defensiveness, we have a choice: retreat into the safety of denial or lean into the opportunity for growth.' Hodges further explained her approach, 'I tell people all the time: the goal isn't to be 'right,' it's to be real. Be honest with yourself. Ask, 'Why is this hitting a nerve?' Practice pausing before reacting. Seek feedback, not validation.' To her, the most important strategy in becoming an accomplice is to show up. She believes that 'unlearning white supremacy is not about perfection—it's about persistence.'
Many of Hodges' readers might be eager to 'do the work' but unsure where to start. I asked her what some of the first concrete steps someone can take to move from passive support to active engagement are. In the same real tone used throughout From Ally to Accomplice, she said, 'Start with yourself. Examine your own biases. Interrogate the spaces you move through daily—your workplace, your neighborhood, your friend circles. Who's missing? Who's being excluded? Then, do something.'
The 'do something,' according to Hodges, might include saying something up when your colleague makes a racist comment, advocating for policy changes at work when you see systemic inequities, redirecting resources to organizations led by people of color, or, in some cases, giving up opportunities to make space for those who rarely get opportunities. Hodges is fierce in her advice that those who want to be anti-racist must 'commit to showing up consistently, not just when it's trending.' For her, 'It's a lifelong commitment.'
The last question I asked Hodges was what she hopes readers carry with them after finishing the book, and how she hopes her book contributes to broader systemic change. She emphasized wanting readers to 'leave the book feeling challenged, not comforted. Inspired, but also unsettled. If you finish this book and think, 'Wow, that was a good read,' and go back to business as usual—I've failed.'
She hopes that From Ally to Accomplice is 'a mirror, a tool, and a call to action.' Moreover, she wants it to live in readers' conversations, choices, and organizational leadership. She stated, 'If enough people stop playing it safe and start doing the hard, messy, necessary work of accompliceship—real, systemic change becomes possible.' For Hodges, this work is not merely about individual transformation. Instead, it is about 'collective liberation," and for her, it 'starts with each of us choosing courage over comfort, every single day.'
Ultimately, Hodges does not offer comfort, which makes this book necessary and unique in many ways. She doesn't promise ease but talks about clarity, accountability, and direction. With her message, she offers her readers a powerful invitation to stop waiting for the right moment to act, and instead to begin the work wherever they are and with the resources they have.