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He’s an agent and proceeded to ‘splain the publishing industry and statistics to this panel of experts. When Xochitl opened the mic up to questions after the panel, she gave a very clear reminder to the room that this space was being held for writers of color, children of immigrants, latinx writers.Īnd that white guy got up. All of these people have expertise in the publishing industry. Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, a poet and activist, the founder of Women Who Submit, put together in very short time a crackerjack panel to talk about these issues, including Christopher Soto, Myriam Gurba, Romeo Guzman, Roxane Gay, and Wendy C Ortiz. Flatiron Press’s kajillion dollar promotion of the problematic American Dirt pushed the conversation to a head. The overall thrust is that the publishing machine of the US is not only white dominated, but only promotes white writers, even when they’re telling stories of people of color. The event is covered in the Los Angeles Times here: This space held a discussion on Latinos and the crisis in US publishing, put together by #DignidadLiteraria, a group that sprung up in response to a racist book that is being pushed by the US publishing machine. I’m certain if you’re reading this, you’ve been in a space where this happens.
#Roxane gay family photo series#
Allyship series by Atlanta artist Danielle Coke on twitter and instagram. Understand we’re experiencing a different operational reality from our friends of color. Imagine it being the relentless message in every space you occupy. If you are a white woman reading this, you’ve experienced some level of this brushoff from men. They were silenced, ignored, brushed off daily and, over time, taught that there was no reward for speaking up it would get you corrected, silenced, ‘splained to, or a combination of the three. Or in a meeting.īut what we missed was that in our various classrooms, colleges, and jobs, this is not what people of color have experienced or what they’ve been taught. I’ve felt it, that same squirm in my belly that came when a topic would come up at the dinner table. When something big happens in the news, there’s this urgency inside to be heard from. We are all over social media registering our opinions daily. Letting the powers that be know we are the smart one. “Be assertive.” “Register your opinion” “What do you think? Say it while you have the chance.” By the time we’re adults, it’s ingrained in us. And into the job world if you’re at a table, you’d best be heard if you want to be seen as a member of the team. By the time you get through high school, you know the grades are there for “class participation,” showing interest, registering your opinion.
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Teachers reward the answerers, those who raise their hands and say the thing all the way. This need to talk continued as I grew up white in American classrooms. I learned that if I could be clever enough and say the thing loud enough and get my opinion out, I would win. I grew up the youngest in a white family with two older brothers, so there was always competition for attention at the dinner table. But as we step into Zoom sessions, chat rooms, or House Parties, and as we prepare to go out into the world again, here are some good things for us to remember as white people moving in spaces that aren’t all white. Our spaces have changed due to the current situation, as have our concepts of rooms, events, and conversations.