Tips from women of color on how to be a better ally

Sometimes I'm asked by white women what they can do to support women of color  besides writing a check.  We recently got some great advice from women of color involved in our Reproductive Justice project.  1.  Really listen when women of color talk and then behave as though we heard them.  This means being willing to do things differently.  Modify our criteria, change our outreach, systems or behavior.  2.  Show up to events when invited by women of color.  What we usually do is summon them to meetings or drag them into our existing organizations when we want to achieve diversity goals.  But how often do we accept invitations to attend events outside of our comfort zone and neighborhood.  I had a recent experience where I attended, on a Saturday night, a small reception for local Latinas who were completing a "Latina Organizing Advocacy and Leadership" training put on by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.  It was amazing to meet these interesting women confident and comfortable in a setting of their own choosing.   I learned things about some of the individuals speaking that I would never have otherwise known.  It was indeed a richer experience than I've ever had with any of these individuals in any other setting.