thank you so much for making that 80 instances post. I am very much a white person- and I cannot express how jarring it was to see examples of racism and anti blackness coming from people within my own fandom.
I wanted to ask- do you have some tips for being a better black ally online and how help advocate for black rights? Your post opened my eyes a little and now I’m inspired :)
😅 well you got the spirit. This applies overall to antiblackness, not just in fandom spaces (of which, antiblackness is also ubiquitous).
- Listen and reblog Black people when they speak on these topics DIRECTLY. There’s this idea that somehow what Black ppl have to say is less valid unless a white person backs it up or “simplifies” it. That’s racist. Be willing to understand the message from the messenger, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable. If you’re more worried about “oh well people won’t like that I shared this on my blog” than you are over racism occurring… My friend you’re actively choosing to ignore racism then 🤷🏾♀️
- Speak up directly when anti-Black racism is occurring in front of you. You have to actively be an ally. “Not being racist” isn’t enough. No one wants to be told after they’ve experienced antiblackness that “oh I believed in/felt sorry for you” okay but when I was getting jumped you stood by!! 🤣 as far as I’m concerned, you are complicit in the violence I experienced.
- Recognize your place as an ally, not my white savior. Again, I don’t need you to speak for me (unless I’m not in the room, in which case, speak up for me). This is a real big one with racist white liberals who think their politics are One Size Fits All. You don’t know better than me what I experienced and you don’t know better than me what I need.
- Do the reading!! I cannot emphasize enough that if you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s okay to shut up 🤣 There are plenty of Black bloggers online that share numerous books and documentaries if you want to start there. I personally started my overall political nonfiction journey with the SPLC Summer Reading List one year and branched from there. You’re gonna have to get uncomfortable and accept that there’s things we’ve discussed, that you recognize in your own behavior as racism. You gotta be willing to get over that, that’s the only way you’re ever going to be helpful.
As for a specific fandom note, you can reread that list (and the second one, in the future) and use it to start recognizing when these things occur in your space- bc trust me, even if it wasn’t your named fandom, $10 it’s occurred anyway. Go “oh, shit, this is racist!” Rather than believing it’s “just drama”.
Um, those are my main ones. If anybody Black wants to add anything, go for it.
My main thing is that nonblack folks, but especially white people, need to come to terms with the fact that there isn’t going to be a point where you’ve done “everything” and become The Good Nonblack / The Good White. Don’t ever fix your mind to believe that you can play ally for a few months or a few years and think you’ve done enough. Black liberation is not a trend. Supporting Black people is about Black people, not about allies and their feelings. It’s not for you to support when it’s popular and disappear when trouble arrives at your doorstep. Fair weather allies are as useful as a plastic bag sealed over your head.
A lot of people put BLM and Black fists in their bios and DNs on social media, but it’s just a badge to signal to others that they’re left-wing. The most antiblack people I’ve met had BLM in their bios. They’ve concocted their own ideas of what anti-racism and it involves the path of least resistance, least effort, and least change for them. It’s easy to say you’re an ally to Black people. You can say whatever you want, and it won’t mean a damn thing until you act on it.
At some point, you will mess up if you haven’t done so already, and a Black person will correct you on your behavior. How you react to being told you did something antiblack—no matter how you’re approached about it—is going to be the most telling behavior in regards to antiblackness you will ever exhibit. The running theme with antiblackness in both fandom and activist spaces is that nonblack folks hate being told that their behavior is incorrect, in poor taste, problematic*, or violently racist. Being called a racist for their racism is worse to people than actually being racist. If you care more about your reputation than supporting Black people, you were never committed to anti-racism.
If you think I’m gonna—or fix yourself to believe any Black person should—pat your back for doing a good job being anti-racist every day or feel sorry for you when you fuck up, then you’ve got the devil laughing his ass off. Being anti-racist is a lifelong commitment, and you best keep humble until the day they put you six feet under. The only time you don’t have work to do is when your life on this earth is over and it’s too late for you to make any more changes.
*this word has been trivialized and bastardized to the point you can’t even use it to talk about racism anymore, because people immediately scoff at its usage in discussions