As a white Jew, I feel like I have an obligation to make sure that every space I'm in is safe for Jews of Color. Talking about the systematic failures that lead to racist choices in our Jewish institutions isn't "negative", and deleting posts about it isn't going to help.

And I know in saying this, I'm burning some professional bridges. I know that. And that has to be okay, because this is absolutely ridiculous, that

the Association of Jewish Libraries *directed* us to have that conversation in that Facebook group where they're now deleting posts about COLOR ME IN including followups about the accusations of "incivility", the "new code of conduct", and what criteria the book failed to meet.

We were TOLD to go discuss it there. That's where you WANTED the discussion to happen. In private. Behind closed doors. Where the public couldn't see it. And now you're deleting posts and locking it down because "this is a positive space."

I cannot possibly explain the damage that this fuckery has done to the possibility of more JOC ownvoices books. Like why the FUCK would they want to participate in this and put themselves in this mess? Why?

Or is that the intent? To exclude JOC voices who talk about racism in white Jewish spaces so that Jewish kidlit stays "nice" and let's be real, white?

Don't get into the conditional white/white passing shit with me here. In the United States, we have white privilege.

Do you know what's worse than being called a racist? Being a victim of racism. Do you know what's a particularly painful experience? Being a victim of racism *inside of your own community.*

We wrote a really polite letter.

The answer? "Thank you for your letter."

That was it.

We wrote a follow up with questions. you can find all of that here: https://twitter.com/Bibliogato/status/1273606354649919491

But this morning, there's a new admin in the FB group, he deleted @ElanaKArnold's followups, and he wrote that it was not a place to ask about responses to letters or anything else because it was a "positive" space.

That is a silencing technique. And because he has complete control, he can delete whatever he wants.

I will not participate in that.

But that doesn't mean the conversation is over because this exposed deep issues inside our overwhelmingly white Jewish kidlit circles.

White Jews who refuse to be uncomfortable so we can discuss how to make our spaces more inclusive and safer for JOCs and thus perpetuate harm and racist systems are upholding white supremacy. Congrats, friends, you played yourselves. Goodbye.

ALSO: bringing in the husband of the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee is messy as fuck and ACTUALLY a threat to people's careers. That's a silencing technique all of its own! Wow! Hot! Mess!

I had literally no intention of ending friendships or drawing lines over this, but if you are actively making a Jewish space harmful to people of color, then I cannot remain silent. It goes against the very core of my Jewish values.

Unsurprisingly, a member of this group is currently telling a Latina Jewish writer that she can't promote her book there because it's not explicitly Jewish so good fucking times, my friends. No racism here. Not one to be found.