Allyship, Democratic Politics, and the Illusion of Inclusion
A two-hour working session on what allyship actually looks like in an election year — and what you're going to do about it before November.
DATE Saturday, April 12th
TIME 2:00pm – 4:00pm ET
FORMAT Live on Zoom · Limited Seats
INCLUDES Midterm Checklist by Ally Type
Leading on the Left
The left has a real problem
with diverse leaders.
And most people aren't saying it.
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01- The 92% carry the party.
Black women are consistently the most reliable voting bloc, the most effective organizers, and the most targeted leaders — while receiving the least institutional support when it matters most.
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02 - Electability is a moving target.
Who gets deemed electable, by whom, and what that standard has historically cost Black women running for office — and how we participate in enforcing it without realizing it.
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03 - Misogyny doesn't stop at the party line.
The party undermines, sidelines, and exhausts its most effective leaders — from the inside. And then acts surprised when those leaders burn out or get pushed out.
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04 - A midterm year demands a different strategy.
Voter suppression, new voting rules, the role of identity politics & the power of influencers outside official structures — the landscape is shifting with the plan.
Ardenia Gould
Ardenia is a leadership consultant and allyship educator who has spent years building the frameworks, language, and community infrastructure for people who want to move from performing allyship to practicing it.
She created the Ally Type Quiz, the Ally Type framework, and the Ask Ardenia platform to give people the tools to understand how they're built to show up — and to actually do it.
She doesn't do feel-good sessions. She does working sessions that treat attendees like adults who can handle the truth and do something with it.
Your Facilitator
TWO HOURS. FOUR TOPICS. ONE PLAN.
What We're Getting Into
This is not a lecture. We're moving through the landscape, locating ourselves in it, and leaving with a concrete plan for what to do between now and November.
01 — Why Black voters opting out and what that means
Reliability without reciprocity creates fatigue.
Many Black voters are beginning to question what sustained loyalty has produced in return. Not just representation in messaging, but protection in policy. Not just presence in campaign ads, but power in decision-making spaces.
02 — The problem with the white liberal default
“Electability” has never been a neutral standard. It has historically been shaped by proximity to whiteness, comfort for moderate voters, and the perception of who feels familiar rather than who is effective.
Too often, the image of the “safe” progressive candidate reflects white liberal expectations, not coalition realities. Candidates who challenge that default are labeled risky, polarizing, or premature, regardless of their qualifications or community support.
03 — How patriarchy undermines progressive agendas
Demanding labor without leadership won’t cut it anymore.
Women leaders, especially Black women, are expected to deliver exceptional results with fewer resources, less institutional protection, and higher scrutiny. Their leadership is relied upon, but their authority is frequently questioned. Their labor is essential, but their sustainability is rarely prioritized.
04- An agenda that doesn’t center voting rights isn’t progressive at all
Voter suppression is the new Jim Crow.
Equal access to voting is not a side issue. It is the foundation of participation. And without it, every other strategy rests on unstable ground.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH:
Your Midterm Election Checklist — by Ally Type
Everyone can do SOMETHING. What that something looks like depends on who you are and how you show up.
You'll leave with a checklist specific to your Ally Type — concrete, actionable items organized around your natural strengths. Not a PDF you forget about. A plan you actually use.
Don't know your Ally Type yet? Take the Ally Type Quiz at askardenia.co before the workshop.
Why $47?
Because performative posts are free.
Real strategy that protects access to democracy costs something.
Scrolling, reposting, and reacting will not win midterms. Strategy will.
This $47 gets you:
✓ 2 hours of direct training focused on what actually shifts turnout and engagement
✓ Your Midterm Election Checklist — by Ally Type so you know exactly where to focus your effort
✓ A clear plan built around your strengths, not generic advice that sounds good but goes nowhere
✓ Language and strategy for the conversations on the left that matter most this year
✓ Tools to help you call out bias, blind spots, and bigotry in progressive circles
✓ A framework you can use through the entire election cycle, not just this moment
Because the truth is:
Free content can wake people up.
It cannot build a plan.
And without a plan, effort gets scattered, energy gets wasted, and opportunities to protect access to voting slip through the cracks.