If it's not created by a black person, it's not a black space. It's just a space. You cannot represent what you are not. https://twitter.com/ahmarasmithart/status/1266406515549896704

BEFORE. Y'ALL. START. I am not saying that non-black creators are not allowed to work on black characters. I'm not saying that those works cannot be great. I AM saying that companies positioning those works as examples of black representation or culture are disingenuous liars.

We should not be calling these books "black books." We should not be calling these spaces "black spaces." Not if we do not have seats at the table creatively or editorially. It takes nothing to change a character's skin tone in PhotoShop. That doesn't make it US.

Slightly Off Topic (secondary part): Honestly? I'm grateful for the "fluff." As a black person it is nice to just step back and look at a gif of Dom dancing in Animal Crossing. It is nice to not be plugged into the pain of blackness all the time. To plug into the joy of it.

To plug into the joy of ANYTHING!

So yeah. We deserve a break from anti-blackness. WE do. And thank you for providing that. Sincerely. Every creator. But y'all don't deserve a break from it. Nope. Y'all do not get to be tired of this thing you profit from.

Straight people do not get to be exhausted by homophobia. Cis people do not get to decide all this abuse of trans people is weighing them down. Christians don't get to check out when a Nazi is dishing out antisemitism.

So specifically as a creator, what does that mean? How can you help? You help by creating. You can either do it directly by combating anti-blackness in your work and boosting black peers or passively by just creating something chill and inviting folks to check it out.

Also--and this is huge--you can help by NOT associating with racist creators, sharing platforms with them, or allowing them access to your black peers and fans to torment and troll them.

You can help by NOT expecting your black peers and fans to do the heavy work of helping you figure out how to combat the anti-blackness in your life by using them as a sounding board or counselor as you work through your feelings on race.

If you haven't noticed, we have a bit too much heavy shit on our plates to spend time being your Comics Oprah.