IBARW 2!

[oyceter]

Guess what? It's almost time for Intl. Blog Against Racism Week again!

Yes, I am making this a yearly thing.

Since it started around mid-July last year, I want to keep it around the same time. But since my birthday is in late July, and I am entirely selfish and really don't want to be dealing with potential race-related stupidity around my birthday, I am making the first full week of August officially the week of IBARW.

So that's August 6 to August 12!

This year, I want to a) read through all of last year's entries and pick my favs, b) blog more about POC reactions to racism (internalized, denial, acknowledgment, anger, etc.) without having it turn into "But POC are racist too OMG WOE!", c) actually do something about the "international" part, and d) continue to post about it the rest of the year too.

What Can I Do?

Well! I'm glad you asked! (or, uh, didn't, but whatever, I'll pretend that people did.)

1. First, I'd love volunteers to be Icon-Makers of the Revolution!
   
   I made some icons last year, which are still up for grabs, and I will make more this year. But I am singularly uncreative and am running out of icon ideas, and my icon skills are passable but really not the best. Also, for people who want customized personal icons or whatnot, it'd be nice to have more icon-makers to go to.



2. Second, I need a Record-Keeper of the Revolution!
   
   You'll be compiling all IBARW posts during the week, like rilina did last year in the handy link compilation. I think mostly people comment with a link to theirs, so you don't have to search all over the internet to find things. The link compilation will include all posts for IBARW, including sporktastic ones, though I encourage people to create their own recommended posts lists too!
   
   
   • Alternately... since IBARW generated over 200 posts last year, I think it'd also be cool if there were a Programmer of the Revolution who wrote up a link-compiling program that would have people input the link, title, poster, time posted, and summary of their posts and spit out a handy-dandy list. I think I do have webspace for something like this, although I'd need to re-investigate, as I have completely forgotten what I can do with it.



3. Thirdly, post!! If you're a white person and don't want to take attention away from POC bloggers, I respect that a lot. But if you still want to contribute without taking attention away, you can also post links to posts POC have made as well, or drive traffic, or search for IBARW links that people may have missed.

And while I'm asking for things, I so want an Anti-Racism 101 blog a la Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog. I would very much contribute and possibly even be able to create the blog, but I don't think I have the time to post to it often. Maybe I will think about just compiling links and whatnot for the FAQs section or something. Hrm...

Thoughts? Questions? Bueller?

Comments

[oyceter]

I agree with pretty much everything witchqueen wrote out. Also was just going to add that I don't know much about behind-the-scenes as well (rachelmanija has better experience than me), but that I suspect the general paucity of actors of color also hovers around the issue like a... hovering thing. I'm guessing some stay silent because they don't want to be known as the person who rocks the boat, some do because it's already hard finding roles for POC, some speak but get ignored, some speak and get listened to (Masi Oka for Heroes, whoo!). But I suspect in general they have less clout than white actors, siiiigh.

Some of the stuff we end up seeing is so glaringly *offensive* that surely someone on the creative end must have noticed, and said something. When fandom talks about race (or sexism or any other sort of prejudice), we usually talk vaguely about "the writers" or "[the show's creator]," but there are so many other people around them, and involved in the creation of a movie or tv show that surely *someone* must notice when the subtext is getting ugly.

Hrm, yeah. I dunno. Speaking as someone who used to be the token "I am colorblind and therefore have all white friends" Asian back in college, I think a lot of it may be in the atmosphere? Certainly if you've heard your peers or superiors making fun of people for being "PC" or "overly sensitive," even (or possibly especially) casually or with toss-aside comments, and you see no one standing up to it, it makes it that much more difficult to say something. Or I'm wondering if people do protest, only to be pooh-poohed as "pulling the race card" or just being a poor sport or whatnot.

I found it really, really hard speaking out about it on LJ last year, and that was among a group of people who generally prided themselves as being liberal and feminist and subversive, because of a lot of the above factors, but that's more my guess about Hollywood atmosphere than actual knowledge.

[anenko.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

I hadn't thought about how important the atmosphere must be, but it makes a lot of sense that it would help keep people in line.

I'm glad that you did speak up about race issues. I've seen some discussions get pretty vicious in lj fandom, but I appreciate the different perspective (even if I don't always like what I learn about my fandom or myself in the process).

[oyceter]

Sure! ^_^

And it's such a little thing, but it's just so good to know that people are reading and thinking, as the vicious comments are easier to remember. It helps me balance things out. So thank you.