Read on Twitter
I'm going to talk about some things that have been on my mind for a long time re: fandom and racism. I've been in this fandom for >4 years and I've seen a lot in that time, but one thing that rings true to me is that the incidents with racism follow a distinct pattern. [thread]
It's great and all that the fandom routinely rejects whoever the outright village racist is at any point in time, but here's the thing - almost every time, BIPOC folx have warned of this person and were ignored. It's only until their actions are egregious that the fandom rallies.
Blocking them and making a supportive tweet, honestly, doesn't do much. That's not being anti-racist in a way that creates a safe environment for Black folx in the fandom. That's just protecting your own interests so that you are not seen in a similar light as that person.
If you are offended by the above tweets, examine why that might be so. Do you visibly speak up when you see bigoted opinions *or* content? Do you surrounded yourself with diverse people in the fandom? What are you doing in your real life to ensure you're fostering allyship?
The fandom thinks it has created an inclusive environment. From my perspective, it has not. What it's done is create an environment where bigots feel emboldened to publicly espouse their views in the name of "inclusivity." We've seen this repeatedly.
Every time I talk about racism, I lose followers. I gain a few too, but what kind of environment do you think that creates, especially for other BIPOC folx who may not feel as emboldened as me? I have far bigger racist fish to fry than fandom racists, but here I am, still
trying to create change so that the next Black person in fandom has a slightly better experience than I have. Maybe you'd say, "Well Jessica, talking about this stuff is part of your brand now, so it makes sense for you to talk about it!"
Why isn't it a part of your brand?
Why isn't it a part of your brand?
It shouldn't be on Black or BIPOC folx in the fandom to do this work anyway. Even still, we are often the Cassandras, "creating drama" when we're trying to do the work we shouldn't have to do to create a place where we feel safe and welcome. Help us with that fight.
This is a huge fandom so we will never be homogeneous, but for whatever part of the fandom this thread reaches - what are you going to do as part of your anti-racism efforts to create an environment where Black folx feel included and safe? If you do nothing, that's your answer.
"Ally" is a verb, not an identity. You don't have to do anything to be a marginalized person other than exist, but you are only an ally when you are taking action to fight oppression.
