Allies, Advocates, and Accomplices: A Critical Look at the Relationships Between white and Black women in Engineering Education

Historically, Black women have experienced both suppression and erasure at the hands of white women. In order to address the historical harm that undergirds the relationships between Black and white women, more than allyship is necessary. Instead, this article proposes an accomplice position that white women and Black women can take in coalitional work. Drawing on Patricia Hill Collin's Black Feminist Epistemology, the accomplice stance actively engages with power systems and dialogue, honoring lived experiences and committing to an ethic of care and accountability. This provocation provides a sample case for understanding accomplice relationships and suggests heuristic for potential accomplices to use in establishing enduring coalitions between Black and white women.