A word on partnership versus exploitation.

I see a lot of well-intended people working to create "stuff" to address the magnitude of this moment. Many want to involve people of color, especially Black people, in your work right now.

That is lovely. But there are parameters.

There is partnership, which requires shared vision, mutual benefit, and shared ideas. In partnership there is space for both.

Then there's exploitation, which allows one party to benefit from the expertise of another.

I want to note that a lot of the requests I've personally gotten have been seeking a hybrid of technical expertise and insights based on lived experience. Even if the value is lived experience, it's still exploitation. And sometimes the emotional toll is greater.

Ask yourself if you're allowing for shared vision and partnership in your outreach, or if you're looking to take or benefit from the ideas and energy of Black people for your own vision.

And then, consider the toll on the partners you engage. Emotional labor is still costly.

And before @BioAndBaseball asks, this isn't a sub-tweet. But I am concerned by what I'm hearing from others, especially Black women, who are feeling obligated to show up in spaces as advocates, even when those spaces are harmful or exploiting us.

It's not lost on me that I'm able to voice these concerns, as advocates for other women of color who may not have such agency at this point. Power dynamics are an important part of this.

Again, people are tired.