05. Tanya Boteju: Allyship as Action

Being an ally is not just a status to claim—it’s about lifelong learning and action. It’s a constant, ongoing willingness to engage in the hard work of standing alongside those who don’t have the same privileges. Author and teacher Tanya Boteju will teach middle grade students how to acknowledge their own privileges, and the difference between allyship and being performative. As a self-proclaimed imperfect ally herself, she’ll show how to address mistakes when we make them, and share some activities and tools for becoming a better ally from her book, Allyship as Action, before offering a candid and compassionate Q+A session. Grades 4–7.

Themes: Social justice, activism, advocacy, call to action
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies 3-10

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Tanya Boteju

TANYA BOTEJU is a teacher and writer living on unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Her debut novel, Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens, was named a Top Ten Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association. As an educator committed to anti-oppressive teaching and learning, Tanya hopes her books bend the universe even the tiniest bit toward justice.