Sustaining Personal Activism: Behavior Analysts as Antiracist Accomplices
Turn allyship into real behavior by writing a self-management plan with daily data.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Machalicek et al. (2022) wrote a how-to guide. They show BCBAs how to build a self-management plan for antiracist action.
The paper gives step-by-step rules: pick one racist behavior you do, define it in observable terms, track it daily, and reinforce your own progress.
What they found
This is a map, not a study. There are no numbers, just a blueprint.
The authors turn big words like 'allyship' into small, countable acts you can graph.
How this fits with other research
Moran et al. (2022) use the same ACT toolbox for a different fight. Their Mindful Action Plan helps you manage work stress; Machalicek swaps the target to racist acts. Same bones, new mission.
Levy et al. (2022) zoom out. They ask the whole field to audit its systems, while Machalicek zooms in on the practitioner’s daily calendar. The papers look opposite but fit together: fix the person and the system at the same time.
Jimenez‐Gomez (2024) extends the idea into research and mentorship. If you like Machalicek’s daily log, you can port it to lab meetings and student supervision.
Why it matters
You already write behavior plans for clients. Now you can write one for yourself that cuts racism. Pick one act—maybe interrupting a microaggression—define it like any target behavior, and take data after each workday. Share the graph with a peer for accountability. Small, measurable, daily.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
One pervasive social issue that has received little attention within the behavior-analytic community is racism and the systemic oppression of Black, Indigenous, and non-Black people of color. The present article offers guidance and examples of how each of us as behavior analysts might build individualized self-management behavior change plans that support initiating and sustaining socially significant antiracism work as we move from allies to accomplices within our own sphere of influence. This article introduces the concept of self-managed antiracism behavior change plans that (a) operationally define antiracist action using measurable outcomes and strategies for data collection on specific antiracist and support actions, (b) provide choices to improve engagement and reduce barriers to adherence, and (c) use effective behavioral interventions to alter the availability of discriminative stimuli or reduce their influence, and increase the availability of reinforcers that are compatible with the goal of the behavior change plan for increasing antiracism behavior and dismantling structures perpetuating racial inequities.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-021-00580-w