These offerings and musings, are currently taking place on the ancestral, traditional, stolen, and unceded lands of the Musqueam people the lands also known as Vancouver.
Anti-Racist Pro-tip Level 400+
Hollywood is obsessed with the high school cafeteria scene. You know the one where all the Black kids are sitting together, there is a white-only table, sometimes if the movie is super progressive there is an Asian table, the band geek table, and of course the alternative kid's table. This is how I imagine the social media landscape to be. We are all in the high school cafeteria and depending on how you have curated your newsfeed/timeline your cafeteria is probably pretty diverse.
I spend a great deal of my time on social media watching how people move and respond within the cafeteria (I am a social scientist) and it appears that some of us understand the rules of engagement and many of us do not. Below is a list that is designed for white people specifically, but it can be applied to other people who are members of dominant groups watching conversations unfold in their midst. These are things to consider before responding to issues online:
1. W.A.I.T = why am I talking but in this case, it’s why am I typing -Being mindful of my social location (race, gender, class &, etc) does this story require my voice as a white person? Ask yourself: “do I have the intellectual range to enter this discussion?”
2. Are there Black people on the internet already making the points that I am itching to make? If I have not seen these opinions is it because my timeline is a homogenous gated community?
3. What role does white supremacy play in my need or want to comment? Are their historical implications associated with the situation? For e.g. there is a long racist history of whiteness trying to tell us all that men of color and in particular Black men are all rapists and white women are in particular danger from these predatory Black men. If you are white and you know this history how do you balance this in an anti-racist way?
4. Am I being paid to give my opinion? Meaning am I a JOURNALIST? And if I am a journalist and I have to write about the story what structures do I have in place to manage my white supremacy in my writing? If I am not a member of the media who actually needs/wants/looking for my opinion?
5. Is this my business? Meaning am I witnessing an intracommunity dialogue happening in front of me on the internet and am I trying to insert my whiteness into an intracommunity dialogue? What are the ramifications of me inserting myself into a conversation that Black people have a good grasp on?
Nuance is not an easy skill to acquire or teach if it were I would gift it to folks during Kwanzaa. It takes a great deal of skill to know when and how to offer up your opinion in ways that are generative and moves the conversation forward in a good way. For example, there is a propensity among some anti-racist white people to literally preface every statement by saying, “I don’t want to take up too much space” to which I internally start to roll my eyes. Because when we are talking about systemic and structural racism we need EVERYONE in the conversation. A white person using their voice to disrupt racism, be in solidarity, or call their fellow whites in is not taking up space. However, interjecting yourself into an intracommunity conversation is the definition of taking up too much space. But so many white people do not seem to know this crucial difference.
I am not suggesting that white people do not have the right to talk about issues on their social media. But if you are a white person or white coded person who claims anti-racism as a sociopolitical ideology how do you operationalize this on social media? Herein lies the work of nuance. I will offer another example, I had lots of opinions and feelings about this year’s Super Bowl halftime show. I saw blackness being used in various ways and being signaled to, but I saw no actual Black people. I also had strong feelings about seeing Latinx folks say that this was a win for the Latinx community. Reading those kinds of sentiments made me think, “was this a win for BLatinx folks and why does a win for the Latinx community must come at the expense of Black solidarity?” I had lots to say, but when I looked around my social media landscape I saw many white, Brown, & BLatinx femmes saying the same things and in more astute ways. Therefore, I opted to listen and read what people most impacted had to say about the situation.
Now one can argue because I am Black, Haitian (Haiti is located in Latin America), & from Miami, I could definitely have weighed in and to that, I say probably yes, but not every situation requires my analysis. I have three social media accounts that I use very heavily and if you audit them you will see that I do not comment on everything.
Being a good citizen means truly being mindful of how one engages in larger public discourse. As United State-ians we are encouraged to offer our opinion on everything and I feel like that is an imperialist impulse. The belief that every conversation should be dominated by our uncooked opinions. We forget that there is so much power in learning and amplifying the brilliant informed and expert opinions of others.
These guiding principles can be used in various ways and situations. Knowing when and how to use your voice is a great mark of a seasoned thinker. Nuance is not a thing that lives on social media which is why we all need to have strategies on how and when to engage things publicly so that we do not inadvertently cause more harm and reify the white gaze.
VIEWING AND READINGS
I reviewed the Netflix dating show Love is Blind you can watch the video on my YouTube channel –[link]
Phillip Agnew and Cornel West on Identity Politics: [link]
Pure Love Episode #11: The One About Kink- [link]-I appreciated watching a unicorn mama talk to their adult daughter about kink. These folks are modeling before us what kinds of truth telling can be possible between us when we have language and comfort around talking about sex and sexuality. We rarely see sex talks between adult children and their parents and the fact that these two folks are Black and queer is just pure perfection. Many queer folks who are also survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) are exploring kink to reclaim their power over their body and that is touched upon lightly in the video
Ta-Nehisi Coates speaking at UBC- [link to video]-THC was recently at my school doing what he does best and you should watch this conversation. He talks about masculinity, weaving history and poetry together, and why he came to Gayle King’s defense, and of course his new book The Water Dancer
Danez Smith: ‘White people can learn from it, but that’s not who I’m writing for’-For Smith, the bigger crime is that too few reviewers are aware of many of the established poets who have been influences – people such as Patricia Smith, Lucille Clifton and Amaud Jamaul Johnson. “If your understanding of black radical art starts and ends with Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez, then you don’t really know a lot of the archive. I think a lot of folks only know the ‘canon’, but there are so many canons to pull from,” Smith says. “All writers deserve that type of deep reading and seeing.”
Colonial conservation- ‘a cycle of impunity’- A UN investigation has suggested that rangers funded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have beaten up, abused and murdered people in the forests of Congo. These atrocities were committed in the name of conservation.
Fat Studies, Body, and Desirability Politics: A reading list -In recent years, with the help of social media, there has been an uptick in conversations around fatness, “body positivity,” and general body politics. You may have run into words you hadn’t heard before, like “fatphobia,” or “anti-fatness,” or even fatmisia”
The Age of Instagram Face *the article was published in 12/2019*- There was something strange, I said, about the racial aspect of Instagram Face—it was as if the algorithmic tendency to flatten everything into a composite of greatest hits had resulted in a beauty ideal that favored white women capable of manufacturing a look of rootless exoticism. “Absolutely,” Smith said. “We’re talking an overly tan skin tone, a South Asian influence with the brows and eye shape, an African-American influence with the lips, a Caucasian influence with the nose, a cheek structure that is predominantly Native American and Middle Eastern.” Did Smith think that Instagram Face was actually making people look better? He did. “People are absolutely getting prettier,” he said. “The world is so visual right now, and it’s only getting more visual, and people want to upgrade the way they relate to it.”
Bernie Sanders Earns Support From Black Women Activists Like Barbara Smith, Isra Hirshi - Dream Defenders, a youth-led racial and economic justice organization, is one of several minority-led groups trying to make the case that an older white man is the best candidate to represent their interests. The group’s codirector Rachel Gilmer says that 90% of its membership voted to endorse Sanders and that she thinks the media’s focus on “Bernie bros” is part of an intentional “erasure” of the Vermont senator’s supporters of color. Gilmer moderated the following conversation with four other black women activists — Combahee River Collective cofounder Barbara Smith, who helped coin the term “identity politics”; poet and organizer Aja Monet; climate activist Isra Hirsi; and mental health advocate Kenidra Woods — about their support for Sanders and “what it means to be a left black feminist in 2020.”
Black Womxn For Supports Elizabeth Warren for Admitting Her Mistakes -While taking responsibility for her actions is not inherently exceptional, Warren’s ability to do so and to grow from the experience is an exception in a political climate where personality is gaining traction over strategy and the ability to get things done. Our exchange — along with Warren's Working Agenda for Black America, which focuses on making big structural changes in health care, student loan debt, access to free college, housing, and the criminal legal system — assured me that I should put my vote, money, and time toward supporting her candidacy.
Why Are So Many White Women Suddenly Wearing So Much Gold Jewellery?[link]- There is a scene in Sex and the City I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Miranda Hobbs, Carrie Bradshaw’s very dependable and sensible friend, tried to help Carrie’s boyfriend at the time, everyone’s favorite nice guy who finished last Aidan, pick out an engagement ring. Carrie hated the ring. She hated it so much she threw up when she saw it. Dramatic, yes, but she couldn’t understand how the man she could potentially become betrothed to would buy her a gold ring. “But you wear gold,” Miranda said (who could forget Carrie’s cherished “gold” name plate she almost lost in Paris?). “Yeah, ghetto gold for fun!” Carrie shot back flippantly and quickly.
LISTENING
Death, Sex and Money: Carmen Maria Machado Is Using The Word ‘Abusive’-this episode about intimate partner violence in queer relationships *fact sheet for queer survivors [link]* (this podcast has transcripts)
Edge of Sports with Dave Zirin: Former NBA Star David West on Political Journey- I do not watch sports, but I love to read and listen to how sports intersect with race, gender, and class issues. This is one my favorite white men to listen to (the list is short) he is feminist and anti-racist and knows his stuff. This episode he is talking to David West who is a Bernie supporter and who is challenging the NCAA
Fanti- this is my new favorite podcast discovery. This show is about how you can be both be a fan and anti-someone aka fanti. This show is from two Black queer journalists and there is a sharp queer analysis. I have thoroughly enjoyed every episode. Get into its children!
Longform #378 Ashley C. Ford- Ashley is one of my favorite writers and people to follow on Twitter. The things she has to say about love in the first ten minutes of this interview is beautiful, and hopeful. Ashley talks about money in the most honest way I have heard in public. This episode is a masterclass in adulting
The Ezra Klein Show: “cold, atheist book”- listen to Ta-Nehisi Coates interview Ezra Klein about his new book which all about polarization. I enjoyed listening to two friends talk and it was cool to hear THC interview instead of being interviewed
ANNOUNCEMENTS
I am on the advisory board of Black Feminist Futures Org and we are hosting a Black Feminist School in Philadelphia. The weekend is open to Black feminist cultural workers, organizers, students, non-profit folks and etc. The deadline has been extended to March 8th and there are scholarships available. Please apply here [link]
If you got your tax refund and want to bless a family please donate here [link]