#and no racial or language bias came into play

[tim-hoe-wan]

Call them out Viola!

[vvivacious101]

Oh God! We need to talk!

I have been insane ever since the RWRB movie came out but I guess you can only stay immersed in a fandom for so long before you start to see its more insidious aspects.

This thought has entered my mind before but I chose not to engage because fandom should ideally be fun and a break from reality. Unfortunately, all of humanity's creations contain humanity's flaws and I can't keep turning a blind eye anymore.

I don't think this post is going to do much but if it makes even one person realise they aren't alone in their experience it would have served its purpose.

So, let's talk about fandom racism.

The only other couple that I ship that is an interracial one is Joe and Nicky from The Old Guard. They are also an interfaith couple so they really had the odds stacked against them from the very beginning. But by the time I came into that fandom, there was a real movement to call out racial bias and ignorance in Joe's portrayal. So I thankfully avoided the racism in that fandom because when I got involved in that fandom there was an active will to counter said racism which also made me very careful regarding how I interacted with that fandom. I was just more informed so I protected myself.

The thing I totally forgot while getting into this fandom is that FirstPrince is also an interracial couple. This fandom is very passive in its racism because you can tell fandom racism exists by how people choose to not interact at all with certain elements that are a part of this ship and never has the insidiousness of racism been more obvious than since the movie came out.

It's obvious that a lot of people just didn't engage with the fact that Alex is biracial. The book actually plays a huge part in it because, for the most part, it doesn't do a good job of portraying Alex as someone who comes from two cultures and speaks two languages (even though I have to say that the only time Alex speaks Spanish where it is presented as such in the book is also one of the most beautiful moments in the book and that fact that it isn't talked about nearly as much kind of proves my point). But with the release of the movie, it's harder to ignore Alex's race.

I mean frankly, it is so obvious in the way this fandom treats the actors portraying these characters that they are being confronted by the interraciality of this couple for the very first time.

It's a lot harder to ignore colour on screen.

I love the fact that the director chose to lean into Alex's roots.

But the true impetus for writing this post comes from a fic I recently read which reminded me of this post that I had seen on Tumblr (you can read it here) and combining that with the above issue meant that I felt like I should speak up if only for my own mental peace.

Now, I am very much of the opinion that if you don't like a fanfic you shouldn't engage with it because fanfic writers don't owe you anything. The mere fact that they choose to share their works of art with the public is kind of a very selfless deed. But, I need to talk about this fic because it really started highlighting the issues that insidiously exist in this fandom (we should probably make a drinking game of how many times I use the word insidious in this post).

Henry running away from Alex at the lakehouse is something that only works if you account for the fact that he is an honest-to-god Prince. His actions in any other scenario are just douchey. Fanfic can get very creative and I'm pretty sure that fanfic writers can come up with alternative ways of making this scenario work even in an AU without him being royalty but it needs to be creative to work.

In the book, this works because Henry is a prince and the one thing that I know about the British Monarchy is that it has a will for self-preservation like no other. So you can sympathise with Henry's position without needing the details. It's also important to realise that the monarchy is not just an institution for Henry it's his family. At some point, he is going to be the son of the reigning monarch abdication or not.

But if you try to spin off an AU in which Henry pulls this stunt except with way more viciousness then you better come prepared to make him GROVEL. It really hurt because apparently people reading this fic were angry with Alex for his understandable vindictiveness something I gleaned from the author's notes on the various chapters and not because I read every comment on the fic so I could be wrong about how people were reacting to the events in the fic but clearly the author believed that the events in the fic would garner hate towards Alex which was literally unbelievable to me. Because predictably it's Alex who takes the first step towards reconciliation and Henry literally does the bare minimum. Reading this fic was so disturbing and disconcerting because I don't think the author even realises that they have set such different standards for Henry and Alex in this fic which made it infinitely worse.

Henry's abandonment of Alex just doesn't work if he isn't burdened by something as powerful as the monarchy and I don't get how that isn't obvious.

The Tumblr post I came across also on a similar note is pretty succinct and I like the point it is making.

But it got me thinking and I realised that Henry's initial rejection of Alex can't be read as Henry rejecting Alex, it has to be read while keeping Alex's lived experience in mind. So no matter what Henry said be it the "get rid of him" version from the book or the "get me out of here" version from the movie, it still can't only be about Alex and Henry it also has to be viewed through the lens of race and class differences that exist between these two. It means that Alex not only has to deal with a person being rude to him he has to deal with the fact that this person is rude to him because of things about him that are a fundamental part of who he is. Of course, that isn't the case here but I don't blame him one bit for jumping to conclusions. Also, in this case, context matters and I like the fact that the movie changed the line because with context Henry's position is much more sympathetic than in the book version of his line (which is incidentally never brought up in the book).

I also like the fact that Henry is the first to contact Alex unlike in the book where Alex gives Henry his number and Henry just decides to use it because it showcases a will to know Alex. Henry makes an effort to give this relationship a chance on his own terms which is something I didn't know I needed. It also means that Alex isn't the only one seen fighting for and wanting this relationship. We have express proof that Henry wants it too with not one but two instances in the movie.

I should probably also tell you that so far I haven't encountered a whole lot of racial bias in fics in this fandom so you are actually pretty safe because I'm pretty sure I have read more than fifty fics in this fandom and not one was insidiously racist. The racism is more observable and notable with how this fandom treats the two actors differently but when I read this one fic and yes so far it is only the one fic that I was tempted to quit in the middle but didn't because by that time it had already become the straw that broke the camel's back and I didn't want to critique something I hadn't read in its entirety.

So, here it is whatever this is. I hope this helps in some way either in validating some people's feelings or alternatively making someone else recognise their own bias.

That's it from me!

[futuristicmentalitynerd]

you don’t think there was a difference between clark’s and reese’s trash talk? in my opinion, they were in very different contexts and directed differently. angel chased her down the court to do that. idk i am appalled at how ugly it all got on sm and i do think it has turned racist which is so sad to see on a day when we should be celebrating woman’s sports but to say that the media framed it differently/people reacted differently for no reason doesn’t sit well with me. i think unfortunately racial bias does play a role and is making everything worse but i don’t think it’s fair to see this whole thing as only a matter of race

No, I don't think there's a difference. I said what I said and I mean it. I'm sorry Angel Reese didn't trash talk in the correct, proper, and acceptable way for viewers. When you pair how ugly the remarks are that you're seeing online for Reese with the remarks Dawn Staley spoke about on Friday after her game regarding the racist tropes media personalities have thrown out into public discussion re: her team being thugs and street/bar fighters (coded language) then suggesting that race is not a primary factor in how this is being discussed is naive. Personally, I'm not a fan of Angel Reese at all. I don't care for her personality because I played D1 basketball for 3 years (until injured) and came through AAU travel basketball before that and I absolutely hated those personalities (including Caitlin's) but telling Reese to be classy and not trashy when clowning another player when that player is known to clown other players herself, in this case, has a racially charged aroma that reeks. Talking shit is part of basketball culture. Caitlin knows that. Reese knows that. They'll be out having drinks together while people on Twitter and IG are still in their feelings about all of this...

[sa7abnews]

Zarah Sultana treatment 'highlights UK media bias', critics say

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/zarah-sultana-treatment-highlights-uk-media-bias-critics-say/

Zarah Sultana treatment 'highlights UK media bias', critics say

Viewers and critics have called out UK daytime show Good Morning Britain (GMB) over an exchange between presenters and guests, with Labour MP Zarah Sultana who discussed the racially aggravated nature behind ongoing far-right riots. 

Sultana, 30, discussed the shocking violence which unfolded across the UK which were triggered by the killing of three children last week. 

The far-right violence, which first broke out in North West England’s Southport on Tuesday, was a focal topic on the GMB panel with hosts Kate Garraway and Ed Balls leading the discussion.  

Sultana emphasised the importance of highlighting racism and Islamophobia as a central factor behind the attacks, which had been repeatedly shut down by Balls and fellow guest The Daily Mail consultant editor Andrew Pierce. 

“This shouldn’t be a surprise that this has happened. There [are] decades of work by the right-wing press and politicians who have fanned the flames of this hate,” the politician said. 

Sultana cited coverage from GB News and The Daily Mail as examples, which Pierce challenged, asking for specific instances. 

“There are politicians and there are journalists who have played an active role and fanning the flames of hate and division and we are seeing that play out,” she replied. 

Sultana also pointed out the language used by politicians, saying: “The rioters are using phrases like ‘stop the boats’ and telling people like me to ‘go home.’ If you compare the language of politicians with that used on the streets, there is a direct correlation.”

Balls consequently attempted to counter some of Sultana’s points by claiming that “if you fail to manage immigration properly, things go wrong”, as he accused Sultana of attacking him while smiling. 

Sultana responded by stating that the UK needs a “fair” system that recognises immigrants’ contributions. 

Balls additionally defended Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, to whom he is married, by adding that they condemned attacks on mosques and racism. 

“I don’t know if they’ve used the term Islamophobia,” he added. “They haven’t,” Sultana confirmed. 

Both Balls and Pierce’s conduct led to criticism from GMB viewers about the panel’s handling of her arguments. 

Novara Media journalist Ash Sarkar wrote in a post on social media platform X that the actions towards Sultana were “nothing short of appalling.”

“Ask tough questions – she’s used to it! – but the sneering and constant interrupting when she was trying to talk about the realities of racism and Islamophobia as the only person of colour on set came across as completely callous and tone-deaf,” she added. 

Journalist and presenter Sangita Myska also shared her dismay following the interview, writing that hosts Balls and Garraway displayed “classic reverse affinity bias”.

“Unable to perceive Muslim female MP, Zarah Sultana, as both a politician AND someone affected by the trauma of the worst race riots in decades they use a completely inappropriate tone,” she continued.  

Police have arrested hundreds of individuals in towns and cities nationwide, as anti-immigration demonstrators and rioters clash with police and counter-protesters, including Muslim groups. 

The unrest follows last Monday’s tragedy in Southport, where three young girls were killed and five other children critically injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. 

On Sunday, Starmer warned rioters that they would “regret” participating in England’s worst disorder in 13 years. His interior minister, Yvette Cooper, told the BBC on Monday that “there will be a reckoning”. 

Police have attributed the violence to supporters and associated organisations of the English Defence League, an anti-Islam group founded 15 years ago, whose members have been linked to football hooliganism. 

The New Arab has reached out to ITV, Zarah Sultana and Ed Balls for comment. 

[4menra4media]

Blog Post - Shouting Fire

Menra Mapfumo 

The shouting fire film is a documentary about the American people’s first amendment rights, specifically, freedom of speech. The film focuses on events post-9/11. It shows multiple cases where people have lost their jobs or been expelled/suspended from school due to their opinions and once again expressing their first amendment rights. It highlights many times throughout history where first amendment rights were questioned and what freedom of speech truly is. It takes events like 9/11 and shows how it affected those of Middle Eastern descent in America, and how it affected those who understood why the events of 9/11 took place, all falling under freedom of speech.   

The film also makes you play the devil’s advocate if there is a case you do not agree with. For example, there was a case where a student had designed a homophobic shirt and wore it to school, but he was facing suspension and expulsion because of it, which sparked conversation about freedom of speech. The film makes you question ethics and critically think, however at some point cases seem clearer cut than others, regardless of bias. There have been many cases where people’s first amendment rights were questioned, but this film uses some of the best cases.   

A case that stood out to me was Debbie Almontaser’s case, “A word that cannot be explained.” Almontaser is an immigrant from Yemen. She came to America with her parents when she was 3 years old. Almontaser worked in the New York Public school system for 15 years, before being asked to be the principal of a new dual-language school where learning Arabic and English would be part of their normal school curriculum. Of course, just like today, people of Middle Eastern descent in America, especially in New York, experienced racial abuse, and physical abuse post 9/11. According to the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, they reported in 2001, “over six hundred September 11-related hate crimes committed against Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim, such as Sikhs and South Asians.” hrw.org.     

The school was opened in September 2007. Leading up to that date, Almontaser was in a battle with right-winged republicans. When the school was announced, a right-wing journalist named Daniel Pipes, wrote a story questioning the purpose of the school. Pipes has written many pieces described in the film as “anti-Arab, anti-muslim perspective.”  

Many New Yorkers did not like the idea of the school because they thought it was a religious school, calling it a Madrasa. The New Yorkers started a group called “Stop the Madrasa.” With that, they added that “all Muslim are terrorists.” I believe that is an ethical issue. If anything, one can make an argument saying, “half of the mass shooting terrorists are white,” and it would be true. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, from 2013-2022, 54.1% of mass shooters were white. rockinst.org.   

Also, I believe the categorical imperative can be applied here. The universal rule of the categorical imperative is, “whatever you believe, you are willing to have that implied.” These New Yorkers believe an Arabic dual-language school is a religious school even though at the time there were 67 other dual-language schools in NYC, but there had never been rallies regarding those schools. This leads me to believe that their belief is fueled by 9/11. The New Yorkers believe the school is religious and that the school has ties to terrorism, whatever they believe is implied.   

In 2007, Almontaser helped start the Arab American Heritage Week in NYC. It is a weeklong full of events with the last event of the week being the Arab American Heritage Park Festival. An Arab women led group had a table with t-shirts saying “Intifada: NYC.”  Almontaser is on the board for this women-led group. Stop the Madrasa attacked Almontaser and tried to expose her to the public saying she was responsible for the T-shirts. They said she should not be the principal of the dual-language school.     

She was later interviewed by the New York Post about the root definition of the word “Intifada.” According to the dictionary, the definition for Intifada meant, “shaken off.” However, Almontaser stated that the word has evolved, and its definition also means uprising, standing for the uprisings in the Middle East. She also stated that the word means many different things to different people. The reporter for the New York Post used her words out of context and invalidly, causing her to be forced to resign from the school by the NYC Department of Education before it even opened.     

[rinkrats]

(Brian Burke has) been a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community since (son) Brendan came out to his father in 2007 and was killed in a car accident three years later at age 21.

“A day after the funeral, we had a family meeting,” Burke recalled. “I told his brother and sisters, ‘We can either sit down by the side of the road and hang our heads and mope and mourn or we can march.’ I told them, ‘I’m marching ahead, and so are all of you. We’re going to figure out a way that Brendan’s passing is not forgotten and overlooked.’”

Brendan will be in the thoughts of the Penguins’ president of hockey operations on Saturday afternoon as his new club travels to Buffalo for a nationally televised game agains the Sabres. The teams are co-hosting the NHL’s first joint Pride Game, which aims to celebrate LGBTQ communities by sharing stories of acceptance and hope.

The occasion had been planned long before Burke joined the Penguins’ front office Feb. 9. But it was You Can Play — the social activism campaign to promote inclusion and eradicate homophobia in sports — founded by Burke’s son, Patrick, that has spurred such events around the league since 2012.

Burke is dedicated to the cause and proud of the progress made in combating anti-gay sentiments in hockey. The self-proclaimed “most macho man in the NHL” is vigilant in confronting homophobic action and language. He’s been known to pull aside fellow hockey executives at league meetings when he hears the occasional slip of the tongue.

“I will correct them after the fact,” Burke said. “I’ll tell them, ‘You have to find a different way to say that.’”

He’s marched in Pride parades in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and New York, and intends to do the same in Pittsburgh.

“He’s from that blue-collar, 1960s upbringing in Minnesota that I think will resonate in Pittsburgh,” Patrick said. “If there is someone out there of similar age who thinks an old dog can’t learn new tricks or, that ‘Hey, that’s not me, that’s for the younger generation and it doesn’t matter how I feel about these things,’ I hope they look to Brian Burke as an example that you can open your heart to this community.”

Burke said: “I had no inkling that Brendan was gay. I was the last family member he came out to. . . . I said, “are you sure?’ He said, ‘yeah.’ I just reached out and hugged him and said, ‘you’ve given us a million reasons to love you, and this is one of them.’”

Burke believes there are gay players in the NHL today, and that they have been part of pro hockey’s fabric for more than a century.

The day is coming, he said, when there will be openly gay players in the league and they will find a welcoming environment... The Burkes realize there’s plenty of work ahead in cleansing the hockey world of racial and homophobic language.

“Are we at the point we need to be with the LGBTQ community? No, we are not,” Burke said. “These aren’t words you can kick in. These are mud walls that were built up over centuries of ignorance, bias and hate. It will take time, but we’re in a much better place than we were 10, 20, 30 years ago.”

Burke is a big fan of Schitt’s Creek and what it represents.

“That show has a theme of acceptance,” he said. “So many shows try to grab the low-hanging fruit. ‘Let’s do one show where we look friendly to the gay community so we’re on the right side of the ledger.’ It’s like they do with racial issues, tangentially. But for a show to have it as a central theme — acceptance and inclusivity and diversity — it’s remarkable, it’s groundbreaking.

“To us fighting this fight, we’ll take anything. For a show to make that its central theme, we’ll take that and run with it.”

-Excerpts from Burke determined to break through 'mud walls of ignorance, bias and hate', 16 April 2021

[trashyswitch]

An Unexpected Roommate

Chapter 11: Demanding The Truth

Robbie feels hurt and annoyed that no one will tell him what the paper said, and demands to see the paper. But his anger and frustration causes him to break something, hurting Henrik in the process.

This chapter (again) talks about PTSD, nightmares and anger. Later on, it makes references to police crimes and police brutality. Though the crimes are not related to racial bias, it's still police brutality nonetheless. Lastly: there is talk about the usual result of Robbie's zombifying process.

There is quite a bit of angst in this chapter, but it ends off on a good note.

Robbie woke up the next morning crying and hugging his stuffed dog. The nightmares of dying and waking up in the morgue had been plaguing him more and more lately. Some nights he almost didn’t want to sleep. Why would he sleep when he knows his head is gonna bring him back to what had happened?

Robbie angrily threw Bacon onto the foot of the bed. This sucked. He loved sleeping. And cuddling Chase without falling asleep in his arms was not as fun. But the nightmares were ruining it. Robbie hugged his head with his arms and started to growl to himself. Why did someone choose to kill him and his parents?! WHY?!

Robbie got off his bed, walked to the door and opened it instinctively like he always did. He grabbed the bathrobe he’d been given by Chase, and put it on. He walked out to the hallway and grabbed Henrik’s backpack filled with his stuff. He missed this stuff so much. But it didn’t fix the fact that his parents were dead and never to be seen again. He never even had a proper chance to say goodbye before the evil killer barged in and ruined his life.

Robbie walked to Henrik’s room and walked right in without knocking. He had no time for knocking when he wanted questions answered. He looked up at Henrik and immediately felt the need to hug him and cry his pain away. But he did that yesterday! And crying didn’t fix the fact that his parents were dead.

“Robbie? Do you hear me? Are you okay? Vhat’s rrong?” Henrik asked, growing worried.

Robbie frowned more. “I want answers.” Robbie told him downright. “Why did that man kill them? Why did I survive while my parents died and never came back?” Robbie asked with pain showing on his face.

Robbie noticed Henrik dropping his head and sighing. Henrik didn’t like to talk about it. He could tell. But Robbie needed to know! Now was not time to hide the pain that spiralled inside his head! Now was time to get answers!

“I wanna know!” Robbie told him.

“I don’t know. I do not know vhy your parents vere killed. I vasn’t zhere, and you do not say much.” Henrik replied. Robbie noticed how his english was more broken than usual for some reason.

Robbie walked up to the desk and looked around for the paper that Henrik, Chase and Jamie all had read. It must have all the answers! That’s why they were keeping secrets from him!

“Vhat are you-”

“Where’s the check record?” Robbie asked in a slightly demanding voice.

Henrik widened his eyes and got up. He walked to the desk and opened a drawer, revealing it and handed it to him. “Here.”

Robbie turned on the desk lamp and read it. But the words were all so big! Why must the words be so long and hard to read?! Robbie bursted out crying and threw the paper down before hiding his face in his hands. “I-I CAN’T REEEEAAAD IIIIT!” Robbie cried loudly. “Itknows w-why they died but I CAN’T REEEEEAAAD!”

Robbie leaned his head on the desk and pounding his fists on the table.

Henrik walked closer and was about to touch his shoulder…

STUPID BRAIN! STUPID BODY! STUPID PAPER!

Robbie ended up pushing all the stuff that was on the desk, right onto the floor. The room went dark again as he closed his eyes and started crying all over again. All the things he threw...It was all just stuff to Robbie. And none of it mattered compared to his parents. But Robbie’s thoughts were interrupted by a yelp and a crash. Robbie looked over with his blurry eyes and stared at the blob of adult body holding something…

Robbie quickly rubbed his eyes free of the tears the moment he heard sobs and cries from Henrik. What had happened? Did he do something wrong?

Robbie looked down and immediately noticed the shattered glass on the ground. Henrik was holding one of the large glass shards. But then Henrik threw the glass onto the ground.

“WAS ZUM TEUFEL IST FALSCH MIT DIR?!” Henrik suddenly shouted.

Robbie jumped about 5 feet away. Oh no...He’s SUPER angry! But what’s he saying?!

“Dies war ein Geschenk von meiner Tochter! Wie konntest du?!” Henrik kept going. He wasn’t yelling, but he was still speaking another language he didn’t understand. All he understood from that was the thought that it might’ve been important to him. “Wenn du wolltest, dass ich das verdammte Blatt lese, hättest du fragen können!” Henrik told him.

...What?

“Fahrt zur Hölle, Robbie.” Henrik shot at him through his teeth.

Robbie widened his eyes. It didn’t take much to understand those words were meant for him. Robbie’s eyes grew glassy as he slowly walked out of the room. But Robbie was quickly stopped by Chase. “Robbie? What are you doing up?” Chase asked him.

Robbie shook his head. He was too scared to say. Robbie turned around to Henrik, and welled up with tears. Quickly, Robbie ran down the hall from them into the dark. Robbie felt too terrible to face what he had done. He knew that he hurt Henrik somehow, and felt terrible for it. But he didn’t want to know what he had said to him. It could’ve meant anything. He could’ve yelled swears at him. He could’ve called him names. Or worse: he could’ve called him worthless without him even knowing.

The endless possibilities of what he could’ve said just filled his mind and spiralled out of control. He soon felt like a tornado of emotions and thoughts. By the time someone had walked in, Robbie was curled up on the ground, crying and sniffling.

Chase walked himself in with a paper in his hand. “2 Physical assault charges. That means he had to pay someone lots of money for hitting someone really hard two times.” Chase told him.

Robbie lessened his sobs a little to hear him better.

“Misuse of firearms four times. Firearms meaning a gun.” Chase explained. “Your father was not using the gun for good reasons.” Chase told him.

Robbie lifted himself up and looked at him. Chase knelt down and pointed at something else on the paper. “Manhandling. Your Dad was pushing someone around and treating them roughly like a football player would.” Chase explained.

Robbie walked closer and looked at the paper. “A-Austin has been given a warning of a $600 fine and...and a couple months jail time.” Robbie read out loud.

Chase looked at the paper. “Your father had to give 600 dollars over for…” Chase read a bit more. “Physical assault. Or, hitting someone really hard.” Chase explained.

Robbie looked at the signature and the name at the bottom. “I know that name!” Robbie told him.

Chase hummed in confusion and looked at the name as well. He didn’t recognize the name, but he knew from the documentation that it was the police chief. “You met the police chief?” Chase asked.

“Yeah!” Robbie ran to the backpack and came back with a car in his hand. “He gave me this police car!” Robbie told him. “It used to light up before the batteries died.” Robbie added.

Chase smiled and picked up the kid. “Let’s go put some new batteries in.” Chase decided.

Robbie smiled and leaned on Chase as he was carried to the kitchen. Chase opened up a drawer near the phone and pulled some AA and AAA batteries out of the packs.

Robbie got the police car bottom open on his own, and took out the old batteries. Then, Chase put the correct new batteries in the right way, and let Robbie put the cover back on. Robbie turned it the correct way and clicked the red and blue light on the car roof. Suddenly, the car lights lit up and a somewhat loud siren sound filled the room! Robbie gasped and giggled as he watched it. “It works!” Robbie declared.

Chase smiled. “That is a really cool toy.” Chase told him.

“I like it too! I used to pretend Dad was riding it around the city.” Robbie told him.

Then, Robbie’s smile dropped as the truth about his Dad had started to click into place in his head. Robbie looked at the police car. “If my Dad hit people, pushed people and played with his gun...then he wasn’t a good police man.” Robbie thought out loud.

Chase shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe he wasn’t. But that paper doesn’t tell us about the good things he’s done.” Chase mentioned.

Robbie looked at Chase. “So he saved people and hurt people?” Robbie asked.

Chase nodded. “That’s the best way we can look at this paper. Yes, he did some bad things. But I’m sure he did lots of good things too. Doing bad things and good things is what makes us human.” Chase told him.

Robbie nodded and thought about something. “Did you do bad things too?” Robbie asked.

Chase bit his lip and thought for a moment. Should he tell him? Or should he keep it secret?

...He decided to tell him. “Yes. I have done some bad things. I’ve lied, yelled at people, and broken things.” Chase told him.

“Why?” Robbie asked.

Chase closed his eyes and could feel his eyes growing glassy. “Be-Because anger makes you do stupid things.” Chase replied.

Robbie nodded and snuggled into Chase’s chest. Chase wrapped his arms around Robbie and sat down properly so they could cuddle. As they were cuddling, Robbie finally decided to confess what he did. “I got angry and threw some papers off the desk.” Robbie told him. “I knocked down a lamp that was special to him.” Robbie’s voice started to break.

Chase rubbed Robbie’s back. “There there. I know you feel terrible for that.” Chase said. “Do you wanna know why it was so special?” Chase asked. All it took was a nod for him to continue. “His daughter had bought that lamp and painted it for him.” Chase told him. “He also has a child that he never sees.” Chase admitted.

“Why can’t you see your kids? Why can’t Henry see his daughter?” Robbie asked.

Chase sighed. “When someone’s heart is broken from too many mistakes...they look for someone to blame their broken heart on, because it’s easier.” Chase explained. “It’s like lying. People lie because it feels easier than telling the truth. But lying breaks you more than telling the truth does.” Chase admitted.

“So telling the truth hurts people less?” Robbie asked.

Chase looked away for a moment. “...Sometimes.”

Robbie tilted his head. “I’m confused.”

Chase chuckled at that. “I imagine. The people on earth are super hard to understand.” Chase admitted.

“You’re super hard to understand, Chase.” Robbie admitted.

Chase laughed at that. “Mhm.

Robbie looked at Chase. “Henry was hard to understand. He was speaking german.” Robbie told him.

Chase nodded and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah...He does that when he’s angry, scared or laughing.” Chase told him.

Robbie lit up. “Like when he was being tickled at the doctor’s!” Robbie added.

“Yes! Like that.” Chase replied.

Robbie looked at him. “I’m scared of what he said.” Robbie admitted.

“Would you like to go over and apologize?” Chase asked.

Robbie nodded and allowed himself to be put down onto the ground. Then, Robbie turned off the police car, handed it to Chase and ran to Henrik’s room. He knocked on the door.

“Ja?” Henrik responded.

The kid held his hands. “It’s Robbie.”

Robbie didn’t hear anything after that. Just a bit of shuffling. Soon, the door opened and revealed Henrik in his PJ’s.

“I’m really sorry I broke your lamp. I shouldn’t have broken it. It was special to you and now it’s gone. I’m sorry Henry.” Robbie told him, his voice starting to break near the end.

Henrik knelt down and opened his arms to him. Immediately, Henrik felt the kid’s weight in his arms and hugged him tightly. “I forgive you Robbie.” Henrik told him. “And I apologize for yelling at you like zhat. You vere right: it vas special to me. But zhat does not excuse my reaction.” Henrik told him. “I was what the Germans would call, a dummkopf.” Henrik admitted.

Robbie giggled at the word and hugged him a bit tighter at his response. Robbie could somewhat understand what dummkopf meant, thanks to the first word’s pronunciation sounding like ‘dumb’. But beyond that: it felt nice to have the pain between him and Henrik patched up. Even though the anger lasted 15 to 30 minutes, it actually felt like hours to the small boy. The kid was just happy to have fixed up the tension at least a little bit.

Perhaps there was more he could do?

“Henry?” Robbie called softly.

“Yes?” Henrik replied.

Robbie pulled away to look at him. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” he asked.

Henrik smiled at the question and nodded his head. “Of course you can!”

Robbie smiled and fluffed up Robbie’s hair. Robbie giggled at it and fluffed Henrik’s hair right back before running to the bed.

“Ey! Come back du Bengel!” Henrik reacted, chasing after him to the bed. Robbie laughed and jumped onto the bed, wiggling his fingers. “Oooh no! No vey you’re gettin’ me and ticklin’ me!” Henrik declared.

“Okay, okay.” Robbie put his arms down and settled into Henrik’s bed.

Despite Robbie’s clear surrender, Henrik still took a couple extra steps to be 100% sure he was done. After all, he could’ve been just faking it.

But Robbie looked completely cozy and ready to sleep. So, Henrik crawled into bed and waved good night to Chase. “Gute Nacht Chase!” Henrik wished.

“Good night Henrik. Sleep tight you two.” Chase replied before closing the door.

Chase felt the door latch click shut and leaned against the door for a few minutes. He felt exhausted and quite guilty for telling Robbie everything. Even though Robbie had to know the truth, it was still a hard truth to wrap your head around. A policeman turned murderer with a wife and an 8 year old child? Talk about a heartbreaking family.

Chase’s thoughts were quickly interrupted by a yelping sound, followed by bed-rustling and laughter. Chase’s lips grew into a smile as he let out a few quiet laughs. Robbie’s an evil little kid who sucks at stopping when he’s ahead. Robbie’s simple ability to stay quiet and keep his motives hidden for so long, simply proved just how far his mischief could go. Chase had better keep his 6th sense awake in case Robbie pulls a scheme like that on him later.

But...That mischief and scheming was part of what made Robbie the boy he is. Finding the laughter in the hardest of times, and making things right when there’s tension. Maybe...Chase didn’t need to worry about how Robbie will take the new information. Robbie’s a smart kid. A lot smarter than they give him credit for. If there’s one person who knows how to fight his battles independently, it’s him. And if he’s hit rock bottom, he knows there’s an army of people to go to for help.

Chase smiled to himself as he walked away. ‘He’ll be okay...he’ll be okay.’

[zm-sc]

On the racism MJ/Zendaya (still) faces

So, it shouldn’t be too long before the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer gets released. Therefore I’d like to humbly try to provide help to fight the racism these ladies are victims of, by pointing out what I think are the most reccuring patterns in the commentaries MJ/Zendaya receives. This idea came to me as I remembered I had fun screen shoting messy comments at some point and keeping them in a file just in case I’d need to prove a point, and I guess this time has come

Disclaimer: Sadly, these are in no way edits. Real people, type this stuff online. I'm aware a bunch are just really dying for a redhead, fiery and all that, Mary Jane on big screen, and that a bunch are just jealous fangirls thinking they stand a chance with someone who doesn’t even know they exist, but also none of these are reasons to be borderline, or full on racist. Some usernames are masked because I thought it wasn't that deep but still dumb, some are lucky they didn't appear, and some appear because I think that if one has the nerves to make these kind of statements, probably some exposing can not hurt them

Here we go.

1. Racism:

2.  Rationalization of hatred:

NB: A spot on response to this post

I have no screen shots for this, but the reactions to MJ saying “Therefore I have value?” in the first Far From Home trailer. In which the NEXT second she says she is joking, but you know, gotta make this an issue.I read with my own two eyes that it would "put Peter in a bad mood", or "I hate how feminist she is, makes me hate her and the actress". For this latter point, notice, Brie Larson has been getting the stupidest hate for saying she wanted her press tour to not only be white as men interviewers and being a feminist

But still, let us not be delusional, this remains about race.

3. Language: Let’s see: "Gross, "ew", "too black", “woc aren’t attractive”, “sick to my stomach”, “no chemistry”, “ (bonus: letting a single character ruin your whole love for Peter…..) Oh and bad attitude” “rude as fuck”, “basic-ass negative”, “forced”, “NO Chemistry”, “she made fun of him”. I could go on but it’s not in these posts, but you get me. Like what is gross? What is the standard for chemistry? Is calling him a "loser" truly the end of the world or is it all a reach because MJ doesn't cater to hegemonic feminity, so it makes her rudw? (S/O to Brie Larson again, who is having her whole body language analyzed to prove her co stars hate her/is being compared to every actress who has played a super hero to prove that it's ok to dislike her because she is not "nice" compared to the hegemonic standard these x other actresses correspond to.) Btw, “I love Zendaya but” is a classic too, usually prefaces nonsense

4. "I love x character who is a poc/x black character so this take is invalid”. Wrong. Not being racist towards one race is not a stop from being anti black, furthermore in this case, it is not a stop from not falling into mysoginoir. Very simply, “mysoginy directed towards black womenwhere race and gender both play roles in bias.” It’s all systemic. Loving Ned doesn't prevent you from being anti black. Men are privileged over women and then it’s race coming into play, always. Zendaya/MJ is a black woman, so she is less worthy of everything, and so it makes little sense in these people’s minds that Peter would like her, let alone that he’d want to date her. Ned is a man, so he is not a threat to fangirls’ fantasies, in which you’ll also notice they treat Ned/Jacob Batalon better than MJ (well, whatever "better" is when you aren’t a skinny white boy….).

5. "Liz was better". (Very often is the pov of, wait for it, white girls (often male fans would rather not even have Spidey in a relationship all short, so yeah). Because she was a fleshed out character absolutely not solely designed as a plot device to the Toomes reveal, or because she embodied the behavior that is deemed as THE one women should have if they want a man's attention and so it is easier to project yourself into her than it is to do so with MJ? That was rhetorical. Gender socialization. Hegemonic feminity. Be white, nice, docile, so very sweet and ready to please, or you won't find a man/job! But men can be shitty and yet will be called badass or witty. Think here for a sec, how many people who dislike Michelle for being rude, are into TONY STARK/Irondad? And God knows I love Tony, but as if he is a saintl? From his pre cave antics to the way he was with Peter in Homecoming and some other stuff in between. Also, he would fucking love MJ lol? What differentiates them so much at the end of the day, from the constant sarcasm to the obvious need to hide their feelings behind it? And that she clearly loves Peter, as did Tony but it took him until Endgame to show it. What makes it ok for him to not have shown it from the jump but makes MJ undeserving of character developpement and of Peter falling in love with her in Far From Home after an obviously planned character developpement? The fact that Tony is white and male. That's it

Candice Patton/Iris in The Flash, hell, Serena Williams in tennis, are all examples of this

6. Another thing that does not appear here but that exists, related to MJ or not, is attempting to erase Zendaya’s blackness to deny these reactions could possibly be racially motivated. “She is half white”. Or whatever headass take of the likes. But we know those 50% are not the reason why she is “Not the real MJ”. So which is it? Is she too black or not white enough? The answer is: Both. And both are racist statements, period. The people saying “they should have just named her Mary Jane” are also the same who were all up Zendaya and Marvel’s ass when her casting news dropped, bet

In conclusion, racism has many more faces else than explicitly using the n word, exactly like these microgressions above

They are not ok, because they stem from systematic racism and oppression, including negative stereotyping. This idea that black women are aggressive, not desirable, and not beautiful enough etc is nothing new but it still does not make it tolerable. Nobody who is racist or using a microagression, consciously or not, will actually ever admit it when called out on it. So dare to open that can of worms if you can. And for those who have been called out, please actually listen to why this statement is being made, especially if it's by a POC. That way you should technically never face this accusation again because you'd have listened and learned, instead of not listening and learning and finding yourself getting called names every turn, because you refused the lesson you could have gotten at the last turn

Spider-Man: Far From Home comes out on July 2nd and its press tour is starting today. I'd like to encourage everyone to above all, provide Zendaya/MJ the support she is going to need online, as she will this time get more to chew in this movie than in Homecoming, and yet people will still find reasons to complain, but also to not forget to pay attention in the future, to the frequency of use of these patterns when talking about MJ/Zendaya and to not let them stop you from defending these ladies. Let Z (and Marvel too while at it) know you have their back. She is a very attuned to social media lady, she would not miss the memo, nor would Marvel

A cute edit: We love racism and disrespecting drug addicts for no reason. Carry on though, idiots

[writingwithcolor]

Racially Diverse Town Described Negatively by White Outsider

ubiquitousthoughtpattern asked:

I’m writing in a fantasy world. One of the two main characters comes from a place far away chasing someone else. I wanted to make him and his people somewhat inspired by Norse and Scots (Which are my own heritage), so, cold landscape and fair skin. The other main is described as having bronze skin. The land and city they eventually end up in is very multiracial, a lot of the further POV characters introduced have darker complexions (at least compared to the fair-skinned character) but not all.

The City is described over and over as being pretty terrible. It’s full of zealots, has a Romanesque Colosseum, and is effectively lawless. I worry with a white outsider coming in, that can be bad. I’ve considered darkening him, but he is also constantly described as fighting like a berserker, being bestial, a monster, less than human. I know having a non-white character described like that can also be very bad. My other consideration is making the City, well, whiter, which erases some of the diversity I desire in the main cast. Is there something I can do? Am I overthinking this?

I don’t blame the MC for being prejudice - you’ve only described the town in negative terms.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable reading a story involving a group of PoC with their multicultural city deemed “terrible.” You can create a town that’s imperfect and complicated without completely demonizing it.

Now, rumors about the diverse town being deemed terrible is pretty realistic, given racism and all. It would be nice for readers to actually see there’s more to it than non existent leadership and lawlessness - the people within it matter. They can make beautiful corners even where there is ugliness. 

Ways to represent the town fairly:

Be Fair. Show the good, bad and neutral parts of this town. Avoid painting it with a broad one-toned brush. 

Represent the citizens. Certain groups may be less than desirable, but what about the citizens as a whole? What are their culture(s) and how do they celebrate it? Food, dress, languages, weddings. What do they love, and how do they feel about the state of their city? Get personal about it. Perhaps your character meets some people and learns first hand they are not one terrible bunch. 

Build a history. How did this town get to where it did? Conquerors, wars? Giving us an explanation of how things came to be could help bring light to the current situation.

Change. Is there currently a revolution going on? Is the town and its people trying to grow and build a better world? In what large and small ways are they doing this?

Adding more racial groups. Adding white people to the town so it isn’t all “Brown/Black people live in a rough, terrible world” is an option. If you can do this without taking away representation from PoC. For example: The people MC interacts with in the town shouldn’t all be white, nor the only positive experiences come from white people with negative interactions from PoC

Does it have to be terrible? Rumors of the terribleness of the town might be highly exaggerated. As the writer, consider if it is essential to make a town of PoC “terrible” and what it means for representation of these people. From their perspective, would you say it is fair, welcome representation? Are there characters of Color who are not wearing the label of being terrible from a terrible town? If No is the answer, re-consider the world building.

I’m curious how the MC’s town get described in comparison to this other one. I imagine they favor their town and have a natural bias, but just as you can prove that the diverse town isn’t all negative, might you show the highlights and undesirable aspects of MC’s (white) town as well? Either that, or another town that isn’t majority People of Color.

It’s about balancing the playing field. Avoid exalting the mostly white lands and degrading the diverse ones.

~Mod Colette

[transracialqueer]

Five Potential Side Effects of Transracial Adoption

by Sunny J Reed

A trans- anything nowadays is controversial, but one trans- we don’t hear enough about are transracial adoptees. This small but vocal population got their title from being adopted by families of a different race than theirs — usually whites. But adoption, the so-called #BraveLove, comes with a steep price; often, transracial adoptees grow up with significant challenges, partly due to the fact that their appearance breaks the racially-homogenous nuclear family mold.

I am transracially adopted. My work is an outgrowth of my experience, research, and conversations with other members of the adoption triad; that is, adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. This piece is a response to the misunderstandings and assumptions surrounding transracial adoption, and I hope it brings awareness to some rarely-discussed side-effects of the practice. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, by any means, these are just a few of the struggles that many transracial adoptees grapple with on a daily basis.

1. Racial Identity Crises, or “You Mean I’m Not White?”

Racial identity crises are common among transracial adoptees: what’s in the mirror may not reflect which box you want to check. I grew up in a predominantly white town that barely saw an Asian before — let alone an Asian with white parents. Growing up, I’d forget about my Korean-ness until I’d pass a mirror or someone slanted their eyes down at me, reminding me that oh yeah, I’m not white.

There’s a simple explanation for this confusion: “As members of families that are generally identified as white,” writes Kim Park Nelson, “Korean adoptees are often assimilated into the family as white and subsequently assimilated into racial and cultural identities of whiteness.”

Being raised in an ethnically-diverse area with access to culturally-aware individuals would help keep external reactions in check, but still belies the race-based role you’re expected to play in public. Twila L. Perry relates an anecdote illustrating the complexities of being black but raised in a white family:

“A young man in his personal statement identified himself as having been adopted and reared by white parents, with white siblings and mostly all white friends. He described himself as a Black man in a white middle-class world, reared in it and by it, yet not truly a part of it. His skin told those whom he encountered that he was Black at first glance, before his personality-shaped by his upbringing and experiences-came into play.”

Positive racial identity formation might be transracial adoption’s greatest challenge since much of the dialogue related to race and color begins at home. Multiracial and interracial families sometimes have difficulties finding the language to discuss this problem, so it’s an uphill climb for transracial parents (Same Family, Different Colors is a great study on this).

Parents can begin by talking openly about their child’s race. Acknowledging differences is not racist, nor does it draw negative attention to your child’s unique status in your family. Instead, being honest about it places your child on the path to self-acceptance.

2. Forced Cultural Appreciation (à la “Culture Camps”)

Picture culture camp like band camp (no, not quite the band camp talked about in American Pie). The big difference is that, unlike band camp, culture camp expects you to learn heritage appreciation in the span of just one week instead of how to better tune your trumpet. Sometimes adoption agencies sponsor such programs, designed to immerse an adoptee in an intense week or two of things like ethnic food, adoptee bonding, and talks with real people of your race, as opposed to you, the poseur.

These camps often get the side-eye — and rightfully so. Critics argue that “fostering cultural awareness or ethnic pride does not teach a child how to deal with episodes of racial bias.”

Much like part-time church-going does little in the way of earning your way to the Pearly Gates, once-yearly visits with people that look like you won’t make you a real whatever-you-are. I know culture camps aren’t going away, so a better solution would be using these events as supplements to whatever you’re doing at home with your child, not as the sole source of heritage awareness. And yes, racial self-appreciation should be a lifelong project.

3. Mistaken Identities -aka — “I’m Not the Hired Help”

Transracial adoptees’ obvious racial differences provoke brazen inquiries regarding interfamilial relationships. Having “How much did she cost?” and “Is she really your daughter?” asked over your head while being mistaken for your brother’s girlfriend does not contribute to positive self-image. It publically questions your place in the only family you’ve ever known, setting the stage for insecure attachments and self-doubt.

Mistaken identities aren’t just awkward, they’re insulting. Sara Docan-Morganinterviewed several Korean adoptees regarding what she describes as “intrusive interactions,” and found that “participants reported being mistaken for foreign exchange students, refugees, newly arrived Korean immigrants, and housecleaners. [One adoptee] recalled going to a Christmas party where someone approached her and said, ‘Welcome to America!’”

Obvious racism aside, transracial adoptees often find themselves having to validate their existence, which is something biological children are unlikely to face. Docan-Morgan suggests that parents’ responses to such interactions can either reinforce family bonds or weaken them, so expecting the public’s scrutiny and preparing for it should be a crucial piece in transracial adoptive parent education.

4. Well-Meaning, Yet Unprepared Parents

Sure, they’ll be issued a handy guide (here’s one from the 1980s) on raising a non-white you, but beyond a few educational activities and get-togethers with other transracial families, they’re on their own (unless online forums count as legitimate resources).

Some parents may good-heartedly acknowledge your heritage by providing dolls and books and eating your culture’s food. Others may mistakenly adopt a colorblind attitude, believing they don’t see color; they just see people. But, as Gina Miranda Samuels says, “Having a certain heritage, being given books or dolls that reflect that heritage, or even using a particular racial label to self-identify are alone insufficient for developing a social identity.”

Regarding colorblindness, Samuels explains that it risks “shaming children by signaling that there is something very visible and unchangeable about them (their skin, hair, bodies) that others (including their own parents) must overlook and ignore in order for the child to be accepted, belong, or considered as equal.”

As mentioned in point #1 above, talking about color while acknowledging your child’s race in a genuine, proactive way can counteract these problems. This means white parents must acknowledge their inability to provide the necessary skills for surviving in a racialized world; sure, it might mean admitting a parenting limitation, but working through it together might help your child feel empowered instead of isolated. Talking to transracial adoptees — not just those with rosy perspectives — will be an invaluable investment for your child.

I’d also suggest that white parents admit their privilege. White privilege in transracial adoption is beautifully covered by Marika Lindholm, herself a mother of transracially adopted children. Listening to these stories, despite their rawness, will help you become a better parent. By acknowledging that you may take for granted that being part of a societal majority can come with dominant-culture benefits, you open your mind to the fact that your transracial child may not experience life in the same way as you. It doesn’t mean you love your adopted child any less — but as a parent, you owe it to your child to prepare yourself.

5. Supply and Demand

During the early decades of transracial adoption (1940–1980), racial tensions in the United States were so high that few people considered adopting black babies. People clamored for white babies, leaving many healthy black children aging in the system. (Sadly, this still happens today.) And since adoption criteria limited potential parents to affluent white Christians, blacks encountered near insurmountable adoption roadblocks.

Korea offered an easy solution. “Compared to the controversy over adopting black and Native American children,” says Arissa H. Oh, author of To Save the Children of Korea, “Korean children appeared free of cultural and political baggage…Korean children were also seen as free in another important sense: abandoned or relinquished by faraway birth parents who would not return for their child.”

After the Korean War, adopting Korean babies became a form of parental patriotism — kind of like a bastardized version of rebuilding from within. During this time, intercountry adoption fulfilled a political need as well as a familial one. Eleana H. Kim makes this connection as well: “Christian Americanism, anti-Communism, and adoption were closely tied in the 1950s, a period that witnessed a proliferation of the word “adoption” in appeals for sponsorship and long-distance fostering of Korean waifs and orphans.”

Although we’ve seen marked declines in South Korean adoptions, intercountry and transracial adoptions continue today, retaining some of their politically-motivated roots and humanitarian efforts. We need to keep this history in mind since knee-jerk emotional adoptions — despite the time it takes to process them — have serious repercussions for the children involved.

But we can make it better

None of this implies that transracial adoption is evil. Not at all. Consider this missive as more of a PSA for those considering adoption and a support piece for those who are transracially adopted. I’m aware that I’ll receive a lot of pushback on my work, and that’s okay. I’m writing from the perspective of what I call the “original transracial adoption boom,” and I consider myself part of one the earliest generations of transracial adoptees. Advancements in the field, many spurred by adoptees like myself, have contributed to many positive changes. However, we still have work to do if we’re going to fix an imperfect system based on emotional needs and oftentimes, one-sided decision making.

(source in the notes)

[olivia-erskine-grad703]

Article Summary - ‘Typographic Binaries’ by Ellen Lupton

Binary Definition

“1 : consisting of two things or parts 2 : relating to, being, or belonging to a number system having 2 as its base 3 : involving a choice between or condition of two alternatives only (such as on-off or yes-no)”

Typographic Binaries

‘Typographic Binaries’ examines the existence of binaries within typography and design. Binaries can be found within society in many polarising forms, including gender binaries, racial binaries, environmental binaries and sexual binaries. These binaries are widely recognised within modern culture, but a binary less addressed is that within typography. The question stands; “what is the role of binary thinking in Western typography?”. This article discusses how binary structures in typography came to be, and how alternative modes of expression are challenging them in modern day. Some of the binaries addressed are italic and roman, marked and unmarked, uppercase and lowercase, serif and sans serif, black and white. It discusses the connotations with each, how the western world perceives certain binaries within type, and individuals who are challenging this. An example of typography challenging the binary is type that exists on a spectrum - letters with horizontal stress, inconsistent parts, and varying assets. Typography of this nature reflects the spectrum that exists within all ‘binaries’ of society (in example, the spectrum of gender that exists beyond the male/female binary). Some writers and designers, such as Junot Diaz, challenge the binary by disregarding the perception associated with it. He disregares the native/foriegn language binary by setting Spanish words in roman, rather than mark them as ‘other’ or ‘foeirgn’ by making them italic.

A strong binary that exists within typography is black and white. The birth of this opposition in typography coincides with the rise in printing technology, as printed image and text express this polarity. In the 18th and 19th centuries, ultra-white paper became the ideal for printed media. This white paper was often compared and associated with purity, especially in the sense of a ‘pure white woman’. This obsession with white paper and contrasting stark black in reinforces society’s bias and devotion to the White/Black racial binary, and its reflection in typography.

These are just a few of the insightful topics and binaries discussed within this article.

MY TAKE: 

Analysing and starting to understand the concepts addressed in this article, I’ve come to question and comprehend how binaries play a role in typography. Although some binaries are stronger and more blatant, such as black vs. white and serif vs. sans serif, I’ve begun to question where gender binaries may play a role in this. The article addresses how binaries constructed by society, such as gender binary, play into typography, but I want to dig deeper into the roots and reasoning behind this. In my eyes, binaries in society are harmful in their efforts to divide, polarise and constrict individuals or groups. I want to find out whether it is possible to create a typeface completely free of gender binary; within its form, its meaning, and its context. If there is a way to achieve this, I want to attempt it, and hopefully bring graphic design and typography a step closer to being free of gender binaries. 

[opiatemasses]

Racism is not banter!

Racism in Cricket

Recently in the media there has been a lot of talk about racism in County Cricket. Most notably that of Azeem Rafiq the former Yorkshire Professional Cricketer. The player once destined for great things in the sport, having captained his country at the age of 15, publicly announced that he had faced racist treatment during his time at his home country club.

Awareness of the impact racism has on people is important as it can have a major effect on an individual’s health and wellbeing. Not only this, but it is also crucial to keep the conversation ongoing about the effects of racism in an aim to reduce the number of people who are subjected to it. This blog post aims to educate on the Azeem Rafiq case and the issue of racism in cricket.

Who is Azeem Rafiq?

Azeem Rafiq migrated from Pakistan in 2001 aged ten. He played for Yorkshire Cricket Club for about ten years. During this time, he became the youngest person to ever captain Yorkshire and made history by being the first Asian person to captain the team. His career was cut short due to illegal bowling action in 2014, at the age of twenty-three. He was given a second chance with Yorkshire two years later, only to be let go again in 2018, this time due to budgeting cuts.

Treatment of Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire

Rafiq’s treatment at Yorkshire was first brought to the public eye in 2020 when Rafiq was interviewed for Wisden. This is when he revealed that he had faced racism, harassment and bullying during his time at Yorkshire. Since the interview, it has been widespread news having interviews with further publishers such as Cricinfo and the BBC. In these interviews he has stated that the club was institutionally racist, as he felt himself and the other Asian Players were made to feel like outsiders due to the colour.

Institutional racism is defined as discrimination or unequal treatment on the basis of membership of a particular ethnic, arising from systems, structures, or expectations that have become established within an institution or organization of their skin. Essentially, this means that due to a history of discrimination, organisations have developed an racial bias.

What does this mean for Yorkshire?

Following the news, Yorkshire faced a lot of bad publicity and the club with the richest history and the most success is now in turmoil, having some of their key sponsors cut ties with them. Including the former kit sponsor Nike, Harrogate Spring Water, and the former stadium sponsor Emerald Group Publishing. This came with the news that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had suspended the county from hosting any England Matches at their home venue Headingly. The ban was to maintain in place until the club can "clearly demonstrate that it can meet the standards expected". This followed Yorkshire announcing they would take no disciplinary action. Thus, it was the correct choice to make, to demonstrate that these sponsors would not be bystanders to racist actions.

The Azeem Rafiq Report

In a report published by Rafiq, with the help of Squire Patton Boggs, in August 2021, it was found that Rafiq had published 43 allegations against Yorkshire. In response to this, Yorkshire agreed that Rafiq was on the receiving end of racist abuse, however only 7 of the 43 allegations Rafiq had made were upheld. The reason for so few of the allegations being upheld is due to having an insufficient amount of evidence. Therefore, it can be suggested that many more of the allegations were in fact true.

The seven allegations that have been upheld are:

When Azeem Rafiq was playing junior cricket for Yorkshire, he was not provided with halal food at matches.

Prior to 2010 the Panel found that there were three separate incidents of racist language being used by former players which were found to be harassment on the grounds of race.

Before 2012 a former coach regularly used racist language.

During his second spell at Yorkshire between 2016 and 2018 there were jokes made around religion that made individuals uncomfortable about their religious practices.

During his second spell at the Club, a former player made references to Azeem Rafiq’s weight and fitness that amounted to bullying.

In August 2018, when Azeem Rafiq raised concerns of racism there was a failure by the Club to follow its own policy or investigate these allegations.

Finally, that on a number of occasions prior to 2018 the Club could have done more to make Muslims more welcome within their stadiums and should have dealt better with complaints of racist or anti-social behaviour within those stadiums.

Allegations

Azeem Rafiq published forty-three allegations against the club including hitting out at his former teammate and one of his closest friends Gary Ballance. Ballance was suggested to have used name ‘Kevin’ as an overall term to describe people who are not white. This sparked more anger when it was found that Alex Hales (Balance's ex-England teammate), had named his dog Kevin, who was dark in colour. Rafiq accused Hales of racism due to this. However, Hales hit back at the claim Rafiq made and denied any racial meaning in the name of his pet. Whether a deliberate racial act or not, naming a dark coloured dog ‘Kevin’ when aware of a friend’s racial use of the name was not the correct thing to do.

Rafiq also claimed that he was referred to by the racist slander ‘P*ki,’ as well as being forced to drink in his younger years by his teammates, who then went on to represent the county’s first team. The effects that this had on Rafiq led to him contemplating committing suicide. He has also stated that he does not want his children to become professional cricketers due to how much he has suffered in the sport. This proves the extent to which he was effected as a career in professional cricket was something which was undoubtedly a dream job for him as a child.

The issue with racism in sport is that it is often under the pretence of a joke. This is a subject which has been written about by academic scholars who highlight the issue with using race as a ‘joke.’ Players are often pressured into denying or downplaying forms of verbal discrimination which are articulated between team-mates and in a seemingly playful manner, dismissing incidents as merely “banter” or “jokes.”

Impacts of Azeem Rafiq Case

Yorkshire did not only lose the right of hosting international events and sponsors. The criticism also led to the resignation of people in some of the most important roles at the club. These include Chairman, Roger Hutton and Chief Executive,  Mark Arthur . The latter being someone who had been heavily criticised by Rafiq himself due to the way he handled the situation. This suggests that the cricket is moving in the right direction to combat the issues with racism in the sport, by removing those who facilitated it.

Empowerment for other Cricketers

Rafiq expressing his treatment during his time at Yorkshire has opened the conversation for other cricketers to come out and share their experiences at their respective counties. Two former Essex County Cricket Club stars Maurice Chambers and Zoheb Sharif admitted to being on the receiving end of racist abuse during their playing career. Suggesting that racism is not just a problem at Yorkshire but in the entirety of the game. Hearing others speak up about the racism they have faced in their careers, will empower others to do so too. This will lead to more action and change in the sport, as it highlights the extent of the issue.

The Other Side

Despite being on the receiving end of horrendous racist abuse during his playing career, the story does not end there with racism in cricket. As it was later found Rafiq had also been committing the same offence as he received countless times. A social media post Rafiq had made only four years ago was discovered, where he interacted with former Warwickshire player Ateeq Javid using anti sematic language. When Rafiq was called out for this he stated he was ‘incredibly angry at [himself] and apologise to the Jewish community.’

The fact that someone who personally faced so much racism during his career was willing to make derogative remarks towards another minority group demonstrates the severe depth of this topic. This is perhaps due to minority groups being so marginalised that they cannot share their experiences with one another. Thus, meaning that their focus is predominantly on their own lived experiences. This is why it is so crucial to keep the conversation open and ongoing, to ensure less people have to endure racism.

Let us look at the Statistics

As Rafiq claimed during the ongoing investigation, he is not the only one to have faced racist behaviours during his career; stating that cricket is Institutionally Racist. The Governing body for cricket in England took a Closer look into Racism in the game towards those of South Asian descent, like Rafiq. With 1 in 3 of the country’s recreational cricketers being made up of people with South Asian heritage yet only 4% of Professional cricketers being of the same heritage. This suggests an underlying problem with discrimination in English cricket in general. Not only is it an issue with the players but also with Coaching staff as the report also states less than 5% of coaches around the country are South Asian. Evidently, the cricketing community is dominated by White players.

To continue 1 in 5 people of South Asian descent find it difficult to find a local cricket team to play for. This is potentially due to feeling like outsiders, as in many clubs the majority of members come from a similar background with the same cultures. In the same report by the ECB, they found that 42% of South Asian people believed that their communities do not get many opportunities to progress to professional standard. To combat this, the ECB published an action plan to become more inclusive to different communities with the main aims of the action plan being:

Create more opportunities for South Asian communities to engage with cricket, whether playing, supporting, or working in the game

Remove the barriers to involvement and participation in cricket for South Asian players and fans

Build strong relationships between South Asian communities, ECB, counties, clubs, and the cricket network

Use cricket to make a positive difference to communities

The ECB action plan has not been received well by Rafiq. Rafiq's response to the action plan was:

“I don’t even know the word for it. Astonishing, maybe, because I still don’t think English cricket understands it has a problem. I don’t think it gets it or even wants to get it. I find that incredibly worrying. I think Yorkshire gets it now, but they’ve been left with no choice. There’s been a real attempt to do the right thing and understand racism in Yorkshire. Once you say sorry, you can actually do something about it. But I have real concerns about the other counties and the ECB.”

This suggests that the ECB have taken the wrong action and should have spent more time considering the correct route to take. Furthermore, previous action plans have been unsuccessful in improving the situation. Additionally, there have been demands to cut funding for cricket if the ECB does not start to make significant improvements. The overriding opinion on the report is that it is not enough. Perhaps the ECB have not taken the matter seriously enough.

Rafiq was not the only player to come out publicly on his experiences of racism in cricket. Recently there was a survey by the Professional Cricketers Association, it was sent to 575 players who have played the game in recent time. Only 174 responded. The key finding of the reports are disturbing:

44 players - including 14 from BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) backgrounds - had witnessed and/or experienced racism.

45% of those who experienced or witnessed racism said it came from another player, with 39% saying it came from fans or on social media.

62% of those who experienced or witnessed racism said it was disguised as 'banter'.

70% of respondents said increased education was needed.

The findings of this survey highlight further the depth of this issue. It is clear that microaggressions are covered up as only being a joke, a laugh with friends. However, it is these microaggressions which feed into the bigger issue. They can lead to more extreme racist actions or comments, as well as having a detrimental effect on the mental health of those targeted.

What can be done?

So, with race being a problematic subject throughout all levels of cricket it is important that aware and education is improved. From grassroots cricket to international cricketers, these people should be made more aware of how their actions and behaviours can affect people, in order to make players of all backgrounds feel included. The main way in which this could be done is through education. Education should be provided on such a serious matter through schools, ECB introducing it at amateur clubs and through county cricket. This could have a major impact on many young players experience of the game and stop parents like Rafiq feeling their children cannot enjoy playing without being subject to such abuse.

In light of the Rafiq news, work has been started with projects such as Run Racism Out! being formed. The aim of this project is to educate the participants on the effect of racism on the people from minority backgrounds. This is an example of projects that are needed to forge change in the cricketing world. The education this project consists of includes:

What does racism look like on and off the pitch

What to do if you see a teammate being racist

The racist history of language (including the p-word)

How to be an effective anti-racist ally

One area that needs to be improved on to ensure the future of cricket is more inclusive and a safer space for all is social media. There needs to be more repercussions for ‘keyboard warriors,’ those who post abuse online at players. Many who post racial slurs or racial hate online would not be so inclined to do so in person. If social media platforms took this issue more seriously, introducing stronger consequences for those committing racial hate online, it could significantly reduce the amount of racism in cricket, and society. This links back to education, the key point in general is that people need to be made more aware of the effects of their words.

As a reader you can also make a positive change. Call out friends, family and colleagues for micro-aggressions, racist comments, and stereotypes. You can also make a conscious effort to report accounts or comments online which spread racially aggravated abuse.

Racism is not banter!

Thank you for reading. 

N0867418

 If you wish to gain further knowledge on racism in cricket here are a few helpful articles to get you started!

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) - The Official Website of the ECB

Racism in cricket - Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (parliament.uk)

Malcolm, D. (2002). 'Clean bowled? 'Cricket, racism and equal opportunities. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 28(2), 307-325.

Burdsey, D. (2011). That joke isn’t funny anymore: Racial microaggressions, color-blind ideology and the mitigation of racism in English men’s first-class cricket. Sociology of sport journal, 28(3), 261-283.

[your-dietician]

Who are the men behind Black Players for Change in American soccer?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/soccer/who-are-the-men-behind-black-players-for-change-in-american-soccer/

Who are the men behind Black Players for Change in American soccer?

Before he became an executive director for a Black player coalition in Major League Soccer, Justin Morrow received death threats during high school in Cleveland when media coverage of his soccer talents became too much for some.

Before Jeremy Ebobisse became a board member for that same coalition, the Portland Timbers forward was a youngster from Bethesda, Maryland, enduring N-word taunts from opponents in his club soccer games.

Calling out systemic racism in society and vying for more opportunities for Black people in MLS is nothing new for Morrow and Ebobisse – but they used to do so on their own.

Now, as board members of Black Players for Change, an independent, player-led coalition that has more than 170 members, they are helping create tangible change for the Black community in MLS. The group, which was founded on Juneteenth one year ago, is not only impacting Black players, coaches and staff as professionals, it is also empowering members as Black men in America as they combat racial injustice.

The Black Players for Change assembled on the field July 8, 2020 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex ahead of the first match at the MLS Is Back Tournament.

Submitted: Major League Soccer

In its first 12 months, the coalition has become a force. Members protested on the field at the MLS Is Back Tournament last July, raising their fists for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to remind the nation of how long Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck, murdering him.  The group also helped transform MLS stadiums into voting polls in November. It has vowed to build 12 soccer mini-pitches for Black communities, and it established the league’s first diversity committee, which gave it a seat at the table with MLS owners and Commissioner Don Garber.

But to solely harvest one year of change as a feel-good highlight reel overlooks the emotional roller coaster the men representing the coalition are riding, as they seek to expand opportunities for Black individuals in American soccer while forging bonds as brothers.

“There’s already so much that goes into a player’s career, in terms of being successful on the field,” Morrow told The Tennessean. “But for me, this has been about leading a group of men in pursuit of a goal. We win sometimes, we fail sometimes, but we always do it together.”

Black Players for Change has grown from an Instagram group chat, started by Morrow to create a safe space for Black players expressing their frustrations after Floyd’s murder, into a fully working organization that communicates and conducts business through WhatsApp and Slack.

The byproduct has been the creation of a tight-knit organization that allows Black players such as Morrow — the Toronto FC fullback in his 12th year in MLS — to connect with some of the league’s youngest. The dynamic has created an atmosphere that encourages players to speak up and find their voices.

Justin Morrow, 33, is the executive director for Black Players for Change and is a fullback for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“If we can be the ones to empower (players) to do that,” Morrow said, “that’s exactly the reason why this organization exists.”

More than just a co-founder, Morrow, 33, is the group’s elected leader. He has perfected walking the line between a serious focus for work and keeping things light with jokes.

Those skills, along with his passion for a cause bigger than himself, comes from his father, Leroy.

Starting as a 23-year-old patrol officer for the Cleveland Division of Police, when Morrow was 2, Leroy climbed the ranks to become a lieutenant by the time Morrow was 13 and eventually became a commander.

“He was just so dedicated and rose up the ranks,” Morrow said. “… I saw that he was always trying to work harder for our family, and pull us up, so that’s always in my mind like, ‘Don’t mess around.’ ”

Morrow heeded that advice as he blossomed into a star at Saint Ignatius High School, a prominent Catholic school in Cleveland. As a junior, Morrow had helped the Wildcats win their first state championship. His prominence grew as the Cleveland Plain Dealer published stories about both his talent and his team. 

That prominence came full circle that fall, when Morrow was called to the principal’s office with one of his close friends on the soccer team. The school had received a letter with death threats addressed toward them. Police were present and the FBI was involved. 

The letter contained racist language, and according to The Athletic, it made reference to a photo that had appeared in the Plain Dealer of Morrow, his teammate and their white homecoming dates. 

FBI officials eventually identified the person who made the threat.  The person had also sent similar racist messages to professional athletes.

The incident was an eye-opener, Morrow admits, but not a detriment.

Justin Morrow, executive director for Black Players for Change

I just wanted to create something that lasts longer than I do.

“Those things happen to you and maybe you don’t consciously let it affect you, but subconsciously you know it’s always there,” he said. “It’s always there. It shapes the way you see things, so it’s just been as a steppingstone to get to where I am today.”

Morrow matriculated through majority-white Catholic schools at every level of his education. He played four seasons at Notre Dame from 2006-10 and was the treasurer of the campus NAACP chapter, which he helped start. It was his way of making change in a predominantly white environment.

“I just wanted to create something that lasts longer than I do,” Morrow said. “My time studying at Notre Dame was fantastic, but it’s always short for everyone. The same will be with Major League Soccer in my professional career.”

Ebobisse, 24, also grasped racism from an early age. Growing up in affluent Bethesda, Maryland, the Timbers forward was one of two Black kids in his grade during elementary school and was naturally exposed to politics near the nation’s capital. He played for Bethesda SC as a youth, which included Alex Van Hollen, the son of U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

“I was in and around his campaign events and got to understand from a distance what it took to run successful campaigns and to legislate,” Ebobisse told The Tennessean.

But as Ebobisse grew older, his Bethesda SC squad became more diverse with players from Potomac, Bowie and Baltimore. But he still endured gaslighting. Some of his peers in Bethesda and at Walter Johnson High School – where he graduated in three years – insisted racism didn’t exist, as they spewed the N-word in Ebobisse’s presence. 

It wasn’t until his sophomore year that Michael Williams – who played soccer at Howard University, an HBCU in Washington – became Ebobisse’s AP World History teacher. Williams, who also coached Walter Johnson’s soccer team, gave Ebobisse a new way of attacking racism and oppression.

Jeremy Ebobisse, 24, is a board member with Black Players for Change and a forward for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“The way he taught me to look at the world from where I was, breaking down the Eurocentrism in everything that I received up until that point, definitely set me on a course to challenge narratives as I see them and to understand biases everywhere,” Ebobisse said.  “And if I can understand the bias, then I can understand information a little bit better.”

Ebobisse is still on that course. Now as a five-year veteran with the Timbers, he collaborated with the Players Coalition, which consists of NFL players, in the spring to help pass the Juvenile Restoration Act.Maryland Senate Bill 494 would abolish life without parole for youths and institute a judicial review for sentence reduction after 20 years of confinement. In September, Morrow did the same in tandem with Players Coalition members in Ohio, helping pass Ohio Senate Bill 256.

Jeremy Ebobisse, on learning and understanding biases

The way (Michael Williams) taught me to look at the world from where I was, breaking down the Eurocentrism in everything that I received up until that point, definitely set me on a course to challenge narratives as I see them and to understand biases everywhere.

Such a platform is new to Ebobisse, who is revered by his teammates and respected by Portland’s activism community, including Rose City Justice, which led several intense protests in the city last June. In a way, Ebobisse is empowered and it’s credit to Black Players for Change.

“In 2017, 2018, 2019, I would have never had the chance to use, for example, my club in order to further my message directly or to create content or to change internal policy,” Ebobisse said. “It was pretty nonexistent, whether it was because I was a draft pick that hadn’t broken into the team yet, or because the social climate wasn’t there for it. I think it was a little bit of both. 

“Now that’s not the case. … We’re asking the tough questions, not only in Portland, but nationwide and at the league office. I think it’s really important and that’s a testament to BPC.”

Black Players for Change sparked unprecedented progress in its relationship with MLS last summer.

BPC’s board of directors secured a meeting with Garber after 10 MLS clubs chose not to play after the August shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by Kenosha police in Wisconsin. In that Sept. 24 meeting with Garber, MLS owners and BPC, the league committed to a $1 million contribution to BPC through 2024, coupled with a package of six initiatives.

The meeting accelerated MLS’ hiring of Sola Winley as vice president and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. Winley, who is Black, had championed diversity and inclusion as executive vice president of corporate strategy at A+E Networks.

CJ Sapong talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

CJ Sapong talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jeremiah O. Rhodes, Nashville Tennessean

The meeting also helped establish the MLS Diversity Committee. Winley sits on the committee with  Morrow, Sean Johnson of New York City FC,  and Earl Edwards Jr. of the New England Revolution. Garber, a crew of MLS owners, a resource group of Black MLS employees and the Soccer Collective on Racial Equity (S.C.O.R.E) also make up the committee.

“We’re players in a room with MLS employees, front office employees and owners of our teams,” Edwards said. “In those spaces – granted, we’re players – we want to be viewed more as men, as Black men that are trying to make a change.

Earl Edwards Jr., 29, is a board member with Black Players for Change and goalkeeper for the New England Revolution.

Submitted: Black Players for Change

“I think that dynamic of us being players – feeling like players – and them being owners looking at players a certain way, being in the front office looking at players a certain way – (it’s) that border of interactions we don’t normally have. Now (they’re) taking feedback from players, specifically Black players,. I think it’s just new for them and for us to be outspoken, demanding certain things or telling them what we want is new for us, too.”

For Johnson, sitting on the committee has made an impact on him. The committee’s April 20 meeting happened as the Chauvin guilty verdict was being revealed. Chauvin killing Floyd sparked a national reckoning for social injustice and police brutality.

“I remember specifically – I shut off my (Zoom) video. I went into the living room,” Johnson said. “I took about 15, maybe 20 (minutes) which felt like forever because it was it was a very emotional moment for me, sitting there with my girlfriend and hearing the verdict.”

Johnson called BPC’s impact on him an emotional ride. For Morrow, leading the group has created a series of life lessons. And for Ebobisse, the power of the platform makes him proud.

But after a long pause, all three elected to focus on what impact Black Players for Change will have on the Black community beyond the coalition’s first year in existence.

“Youth soccer into college soccer into professional soccer has not been the most welcoming of environments for Black people in this country – Black men and women,” Ebobisse said. “So alongside BPC and other organizations, we have a big role to play in changing that and I think we’ve already put a lot of people on alert and gained a lot of collaboration as well.”

Jalil Anibaba talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jalil Anibaba talks playing for Nashville SC and Black Players for Change

Jeremiah O. Rhodes, Nashville Tennessean

BPC’s work impacts stretches outside the American soccer bubble. Morrow and Ebobisse represent BPC in working with the NBA Players’ Association on advocating the passage of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which prohibits racial profiling, reforms qualified immunity, bans chokeholds and federal no-knock warrants, such as the one used in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Juneteenth is a celebration for Black liberation and the end of slavery in the U.S. To Black Players for Change, the holiday also marks the birth of a brotherhood, whose work in American soccer continues.

“If we don’t do it, nobody else is going to and that’s exactly how we feel,” Morrow said. “That’s what’s so special about this organization.

“I’m not a guy that looks back very often,” he continued. “I just turn the page and get on to the next thing. And maybe there’s a minute for us to pause and appreciate what we’ve created and at the same time, continue to teach about Juneteenth, which is only growing. So, we have a big job to connect the older generation to the current generation and understanding of how we’ve gotten here today.”

Justin Morrow, Toronto FC

Jeremy Ebobisse, Portland Timbers

Quincy Amarikwa, MLS free agent

Jalil Anibaba, Nashville SC

Earl Edwards Jr., New England Revolution

Ray Gaddis, retired MLS player

Bill Hamid, D.C United

Sean Johnson, New York City FC

Ike Opara, Minnesota United FC

CJ Sapong, Nashville SC

For stories about Nashville SC or Soccer in Tennessee, contact Drake Hills at DHills@gannett.com. Follow Drake on Twitter at @LiveLifeDrake. Connect with Drake on Instagram at @drakehillssocer.

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[felixconcreativecultures]

Conversations in Creative Cultures (CCC) Week 10 Notes

Reflection: Really interesting lesson. Lots that was new to me. I had heard of the Dawn Raids but had little to no idea what they were. Watching the videos made me more appear of the large amount of New Zealand histories that are not taught at primary or high school level, and often high school history doesn't expand beyond the Treaty, (as important as the Treaty/Te Tiriti is and should be taught). Also learnt to spell it as Pasifika as includes letters that are recognised in Polynesian languages? 

Class notes transcribed from my notebook: 

Pacifica Histories...

What do I already know? 

Polynesian possesses a similar mythology, connections between the Pacific Island Region and Aotearoa. 

Some language overlap between Māori and Polynesian languages. 

What we don’t know and might want to find out?

How people made their way to the Pacific. That potential connection to South America through kumara. 

Polynesian Panthers. 

Video: 

Labour shortage, NZ encouraged Pasifika people to come work in New Zealand in the 1960s, being able to bypass the the regularly necessary permits to live/work in NZ. 

Auckland being the Polynesian capital of the world. Many Polynesians moving to Auckland/New Zealand for better paying jobs and better education or their children. They were paid better in New Zealand than Samoa. There was a big lifestyle difference from living in the islands opposed to living in NZ. Working for a pay cheque is order to live/survive. Less forgiving in NZ? Sometimes money people made wouldn't go to the church or back to the family/home and would be spent on alcohol. 

NZ economy struggles, lots of unemployment. The blame is placed on Pacific Islanders taking NZ jobs. Originally welcomed without residents permits to fill labour gaps, then flipped and deemed unwelcome when New Zealand felt it. Became the scapegoat. “Can’t let a flood come here...” “Keeping to British stock”. “New Zealand cities were once seen as quiet, clean and a nice place to raise children in before immigration.” They took a couple Polynesian individuals and used their minute image to stereotype and present the entire NZ Polynesian population as possessing the same negative reputation. White/Pakeha people also has similar problems but was not highlighted or used against them in the same way as they were in control of society and what was recognised in the media. 

Dawn Raids: Police came to their homes at early hours of the morning or came to people’s work places to take them away for being overstayers. Bias ads and news information, news broadcasting, which fuelled public fear. 

Police had a bad reputation, known for being racist, thugs and by no means friends to the Pasifika people. Whereas Pakeha people saw them as protecting their rights. Stopping people in the street, asking for papers. As if people just carry their passports around. 

“How can you tell if someone’s an overstayer” Minister of Immigration 1976: “I can tell a jersey from a fresian.” Dehumanises the people. Also suggestive of being derogatory if being suggestive of either cow representing Polynesians. 

Police would go to the areas which were largely populated by Polynesian people. Would question their identity and bring them in for questioning. Good relations between police and Polynesians was destroyed. Would go to hotels and billiard halls popular with Polynesians. “Random” checks. Would target Polynesian areas over European areas. 

When police came into the pub, men would leave out the back and be caught by police. All would be citizens and police would look stupid, so they'd be done for taking the pub glass outside of the facility, theft of property. An attempt to cover for rounding up Polynesians. 

1970s-80s overstayers were mostly Europeans and North Americans. 2/3 of overstayers were European heritage but 2/3 of prosecuted overstayers were Pasifika. 

Polynesian Panthers. Similar to Black Panthers, look a likeness. Racial and poverty issues. Used the image so they would be taken seriously. They weren't a gang and ha dot work hard to destroy the image/ides that they were. Had to organise and promote positive initiatives, eg homework club, fine arts, taking care of the elderly. 

The idea of being Un-Polynesian to speak up and challenge authority. Older people didn't understand why younger Polynesians born in NZ or otherwise were making such a fuss. Idea that “Police knew best” when they really didn’t. Polynesians, legal or not legal, were worried about being targeted, being next. “Heads down, arses up, keep working. Don’t make a fuss.” People in the Pasifika community tried to encourage overstayers to reapply for sake of others, for sake of everything the community was going through. People would report on their cousins, brothers, family members etc. “Coming home drunk too much...” or “Not sending money back home...” 

Targeting all brown people: Māori, Cook Islanders, Niueans and other legal New Zealand citizens. Polynesian Panthers documented police to highlight racism or discrimination. Rob Muldoon, (PM at the time) and Allan McCready, (Minister of Immigration at the time) were trying to say there weren’t random checks and discrimination towards Polynesians in and around 1976. Evidence of “random” checks meant police and the government could not longer cover up what was happening and the way they were handling overstayers. 

NZ loved saying after WW@ how multicultural we were and everyone got along so well when in reality that wasn't the case. Large problems with racism. 

When younger NZ born Pasifika people asked their parents and other family about the Dawn Raids or specifically about making it into a play, the older Polynesians figured it was better not to talk about it, and leave it in the past. Younger people are recapturing the idea of the Dawn Raids. 

Shared class reflection: 

Worth taking a look at Sean Mallon and Mark Adams discussion/project on photographing the Samoan community. Photos in Te Papas collection. 

Should look at Linda Smith’s work on decolonisation. Could consider takatāpui in my written formal piece. Look into Ariki Brightwell, Naomi Simmons, Kathie Irwin.

[johnboothus]

How Microagressions in a Sonoma Winery Made a Black Winemaker Question Her Profession

I fell in love with wine when I was in college in California. Good wine was easy to find, and it was easy to steal away to Paso Robles or drive up to Santa Barbara to visit wineries. When I graduated with a degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Southern California, I contemplated going to graduate school for winemaking. Instead, I jumped into the wine industry, becoming a certified sommelier. I developed wine lists at James Beard Award-winning restaurants and worked as a sommelier at an establishment with three Michelin stars in Chicago. But after five years of working in wine, the nerd in me won out and I decided to go back to school for winemaking.

Never one to go for the easy option, I decided on a master’s degree in wine science at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, which I completed in 2019. By this time, I’d worked two harvests in New Zealand and had a diverse group of mentors and peers.

New Zealand’s diversity may surprise those who have never been. The U.S. is lauded as a country of immigrants, but in New Zealand it often feels like everyone just got here. My cohort at the university hailed from Australia, South Africa, India, China, and the Philippines. My WSET tasting group was made up of people from the U.K., Canada, and New Zealand. When my friends and I get together, almost every continent is represented. Our common language is English, but French, Spanish, and Italian are also spoken.

My Kiwi mentors are a mix of women and men, but regardless of their backgrounds and identities, they’ve always been supportive of me. They’ve shared their knowledge freely without ego or preconditions. Most importantly, they’ve listened to me, whether I’ve agreed with their opinions or not. If I dissent, it’s not the end of the world. We chat about it, learn something, and move on.

While studying, I worked as a cellar hand at a nearby winery. I’d gained practical experience but was itching to work a harvest in California. So I approached a small winery that I admired in Sonoma about harvest positions, and was accepted. In taking the role, I expected that I’d be treated with the same dignity and professionalism that I’d experienced abroad. I was wrong.

A RUDE AWAKENING

When I arrived, I was shocked.

I’ve never seen a city as monochromatic as Healdsburg in all my life. In the span of three months, I only saw 10 black people. That’s not an estimate; I counted. One was another intern, six were tourists, and three worked at the Napa tasting room of Brown Estate, one of the few Black-owned wineries in the region.

Where is everyone? Did I miss the memo?

According to the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, about 4 percent of Sonoma’s residents are Black, compared to more than 13 percent nationwide. But it wasn’t only people who look like me who were conspicuously absent; it was all people of color.

I saw a few POC around town but I was surprised at how few Latinx people I saw out and about. Sonoma has a high percentage of people from the Latinx community — 27.3 percent compared to 18.5 percent nationally — yet I only saw them when they were taking their kids to and from school, or in the grocery store. They were not shopping in boutiques, sitting at bars, or dining at restaurants. The town’s lack of diversity almost felt deliberate.

It was creepy.

Luckily, the family I was staying with was warm and welcoming. So, I shook off the bad vibes and tried to get acclimated. On a few occasions, I went to a dive bar that was highly recommended to me by wine industry veterans. When I went in with white interns, we drew a few stares, but I was able to relax and enjoy myself. When I went by myself? It was a totally different story. The bartenders were cordial, but a couple of the patrons scrutinized my every move, which made me feel anxious, and as if I wasn’t supposed to be there. It was hard to enjoy my beer, and I never went back.

There was another bar down the street that was far more welcoming — it had a big “NO BIGOTS ALLOWED” sign above its bar, and indeed offered a more hospitable atmosphere. I remember wondering: Why did anyone bother sending me to the other bar if there were more welcoming spaces for POC? The answer is simple: My white colleagues don’t think about it, and they may not even realize that racial bias exists in such an establishment. There are so few BIPOC in the industry that diversity and inclusion training likely isn’t high on the agenda at most bars — or frankly in most parts of the wine industry.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

On my first day when I was completing my new-hire paperwork, the winemaker told me, “We aren’t going to make you sign an NDA like other wineries. But just know that we won’t say anything bad about you if you don’t say anything bad about us.”

That struck me as problematic. It’s difficult to bring awareness to and solve a problem if you’re never supposed to talk about it in the first place. There is this belief among some in wine that the industry has made strides in recognizing and moving toward racial equity, and doesn’t need to do anything further. However, one look at the diversity statistics shows that that simply isn’t the case. Tough conversations are the only way to get to a better place.

This can result in performative interactions. I was proudly told by an industry veteran I worked with that he “voted for Obama and listens to NPR.” In his mind, and those of other liberal white people I’ve talked to, there’s a belief that they’re not contributing to the problems of racial inequities in the industry; that they’re exempt from doing the work to address unconscious biases that might exist. It’s as if any discussion to the contrary will fracture the internal narrative they have about themselves, their friends, and their community. When that dissonance happens, they tend to shut down and get defensive instead of continuing the conversation. That leads to a standstill where no progress can happen.

SOWING THE SEEDS OF DOUBT

After our first week, I went to an intern party along with the winemakers from my winery. I was excited to meet people and to network, but it was a big disappointment. I was the only Black person there, but I was long used to that from my time in New Zealand. There are not a lot of Black people there, either, but my race never impacted how I was treated there.

I wasn’t used to this: “Where are you from?” someone would ask me. “I’m from Chicago, but I live in New Zealand,” I’d say. The person would furrow their brow. “New Zealand?” “Yep,” I’d say. “I went there for my master’s in enology and work as an assistant winemaker down there.” “Uh huh,” they’d say, and excuse themself.

It seemed to me that most people thought I was making up my history. They didn’t believe that I had gotten my master’s degree, that I lived in New Zealand, or that I used to be a sommelier.

Later, I overheard a white female winemaker whispering to one of the winemakers I worked with: “If she’s from New Zealand, why doesn’t she have an accent — and why is she Black?” I stepped right up and interjected, “Because I’m an expat.” “Oh, right … I guess that makes sense,” she said.

FIELDING UNCONSCIOUS BIASES

All the grapes that came through the winery were hand-sorted, which meant we were in for long days at the sorting table. We were all told up front that we’d get a slot each day to play whatever music we wanted while we sorted grapes.

“And I mean whatever you want. We had this girl last year, who’d only play pop music. And a couple years back, we had this guy who’d play the filthiest hardcore rap,” one of the winemakers said.

“Ha! Well, you won’t be getting a lot of pop out of me,” I said.

We both laughed and I thought that’d be the end of it, but it wasn’t.

Every other day for the first two weeks of sorting they reminded me that I could play “whatever music I wanted.” I think they thought I was listening to things they wanted to hear, but I’m into all kinds of things. Punk and rock are my go-tos if I’ve got work to do. They reminded me of the rap intern so much, I kept thinking: If you want to hear rap so bad, then play it yourself.

ESCALATING MICROAGGRESSIONS

Typically, it was just me and a team of guys working the sorting table. When you’re hand-sorting fruit for six-plus hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks on end, it’s preferable to work alongside people you can carry a conversation with. It’s absolute torture when every conversation is full of bias and microaggressions.

The person leading most of these conversations was an industry veteran. I’d been looking forward to learning from him. But it was clear that he already had our conversations outlined in his mind, as if on autopilot, and wasn’t looking for my input — or for a real discussion.

A typical conversation would go something like: “We had a little powdery mildew this year on a couple rows in this block so keep an eye out for it. What kinds of things do you see in New Zealand, Diana?” he’d ask. “We see powdery but a big issue for us is sour rot,” I’d say. He’d talk over me. “Yea botrytis is something we deal with here too in certain years. We counter it by – ” I’d interject. “…I said sour rot. We get botrytis too, but more often than not it’s sour rot.” He’d say: “It’s easy to confuse the two and a common mistake. You see botrytis damages the cells and then bacteria come in and do the rest. That’s what you’re getting.” “OK,” I’d say, knowing full well that the issue wasn’t that cut and dried.

For context, sour rot is caused by bacteria that find their way into split or damaged grapes. Botrytis is a fungus that can indeed cause cracks in grapes that allow the bacteria in. We had a fair bit of rain right before the 2018 harvest I worked in New Zealand, which caused the grapes to split and sour rot quickly took hold in our Chardonnay grapes. I remember the rains; I walked through the vineyards weekly and saw the grapes swell, retreat, swell, retreat, swell, and then split.

I harvested them and cut out the soft discolored berries. I sorted what was left in the winery with my peers to ensure no rot remained. I saw this phenomena in our student vineyard, the one I worked at, and other vineyards on the island. When I asked Kiwi winemakers what it was, they explained the complexities of sour rot, why it had affected this vintage, what to do about it in the vineyard, and how to keep it from spoiling the wine. That’s all to say: I was there. It was sour rot.

Yet the industry veteran wasn’t interested in hearing any of this. And while he had years of professional experience on me, it was insulting and demoralizing to have him dismiss my personal experience out of hand, as if I lacked the capacity to comprehend the difference between sour rot and botrytis. After a few sessions like this, it became apparent that he wasn’t interested in having actual discussions. I stopped investing energy in these conversations. They were a waste of energy and only upset me.

MISPLACED BLAME

Whenever I noticed something was out of place or a task unfinished, I’d correct it if I could and move on. It’s harvest, it’s busy, we’re all working long hours. Mistakes happen, and no one’s infallible. However, whenever the managers found something wrong, they’d always ask me about it first.

Dirty punch-down shaft? Diana, were you on punchdowns last night? Barrel room temperature control left turned off? Diana, did you do fermentation checks this morning? Labels put on the wrong side of a barrel? Diana, did [supervisor] show you how to properly label barrels? Fork-lift not charged? Diana…?

I will not pretend that I didn’t make mistakes. I’m human, I absolutely did. But I sure as hell didn’t make all of them.

I had never been blamed for so many errors in any other job I’d had. There were times when my denial wasn’t believed, and I had to point to work-order signatures to clear my name. This was distressing because it implied that they truly believed I was incapable of doing anything correctly. I take immense pride in everything I do, and I strive to avoid making the same error twice.

I can’t say with certainty why they constantly blamed me, but as the only harvest intern of color, the only female harvest intern, and the only American intern they’d had in years, I was the one who was continually singled out.

ASKING FOR HELP

After several weeks of microaggressions, false accusations, and gaslighting, I began to question myself, and the expertise I’d built over multiple harvests and a stint as an assistant winemaker. I raised my concerns with the winemaker, who listened, paused for a moment, and told me: “I don’t know why you and those guys never hit it off. I hear what you’re saying, and I’ll talk to them about it, but I’m sure that wasn’t their intent. Look, I’ve been doing this for a while now. Whenever something challenging comes at me, I keep going. Harvest is never going to be easy, but you’ve got to just keep moving forward no matter what. That’s what winemaking is: Making it happen no matter what.”

On some level, I get that, but if the only way to “make it happen” is by sacrificing my dignity and self-respect? No thanks. I’m good.

I love making wine, but keeping my head down and plowing ahead accomplishes nothing other than making it harder for the next BIPOC employee. Furthermore, the idea that I’m supposed to ignore what’s happening and take it because it’s harvest isn’t just offensive, it’s also a false choice. The last time I looked, addressing employee concerns doesn’t negatively impact wine quality. It’s called unconscious bias for a reason, and if we don’t bring awareness to it and have conversation out in the open, nothing will change in our industry.

By this point, it was late October and I’d been at the Sonoma winery since August. I started questioning if even I wanted to make wine anymore. Maybe I could get a job as a lab tech instead? I knew that if I continued on, I’d lose my passion for wine. We’d finished processing our last lot of fruit earlier that week, and they said they wanted to go down from three interns to two. I’d seen what I’d wanted to see and felt that I’d suffered more than enough. So I volunteered to leave.

MOVING ON

In my seven years in the industry, I’ve met dozens of winemakers as a sommelier and burgeoning winemaker. I’ve traveled around the globe. I’ve had deep engaging conversations with many legends in the business, and they’ve actually listened and engaged with me instead of anticipating or imagining what I’d say. I knew what I’d just experienced in Sonoma wasn’t normal everywhere — it was just the norm there.

But how many POC don’t? How many do one harvest, have a bad time, and then swear off the entire wine industry? How many Robert Mondavis have we lost? How many Paul Drapers or Heidi Barretts has the industry turned off through its intolerance? How many budding scientists who were interested in researching smoke taint? How many up-and-coming engineers with innovative viticulture solutions?

That’s what made me want to share my experience. My hope is that it will educate allies and wineries — especially smaller companies — on how they can be more inclusive and check their unconscious biases. My hope is that it will empower domestic and foreign POC to advocate for themselves should they be faced with similar situations. That this essay encourages them to ask questions in their interviews beyond the varieties produced and the winemaking philosophy of the places they’d like to work. That vintners and winemakers start questioning their unconscious biases and ask how they can support their interns and BIPOC staff.

I need to make one thing very clear: I love California. I’ve had too many good memories there to count. It’s where I discovered my love of wine and came of age. It’s where I thought I’d cut my teeth and carve out a name for myself as a winemaker. Instead, after harvest, I packed up my things and loaded up my car. I turned the key in the ignition and headed East on I-80 as fast as my Honda would take me. While I’d completed this cross-country journey back to Chicago several times before, that was the first time I left questioning whether I’d ever be back.

The article How Microagressions in a Sonoma Winery Made a Black Winemaker Question Her Profession appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/black-winemaker-microaggressoins-sonoma/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-microagressions-in-a-sonoma-winery-made-a-black-winemaker-question-her-profession

[wineanddinosaur]

How Microagressions in a Sonoma Winery Made a Black Winemaker Question Her Profession

I fell in love with wine when I was in college in California. Good wine was easy to find, and it was easy to steal away to Paso Robles or drive up to Santa Barbara to visit wineries. When I graduated with a degree in engineering from Harvey Mudd College in Southern California, I contemplated going to graduate school for winemaking. Instead, I jumped into the wine industry, becoming a certified sommelier. I developed wine lists at James Beard Award-winning restaurants and worked as a sommelier at an establishment with three Michelin stars in Chicago. But after five years of working in wine, the nerd in me won out and I decided to go back to school for winemaking.

Never one to go for the easy option, I decided on a master’s degree in wine science at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, which I completed in 2019. By this time, I’d worked two harvests in New Zealand and had a diverse group of mentors and peers.

New Zealand’s diversity may surprise those who have never been. The U.S. is lauded as a country of immigrants, but in New Zealand it often feels like everyone just got here. My cohort at the university hailed from Australia, South Africa, India, China, and the Philippines. My WSET tasting group was made up of people from the U.K., Canada, and New Zealand. When my friends and I get together, almost every continent is represented. Our common language is English, but French, Spanish, and Italian are also spoken.

My Kiwi mentors are a mix of women and men, but regardless of their backgrounds and identities, they’ve always been supportive of me. They’ve shared their knowledge freely without ego or preconditions. Most importantly, they’ve listened to me, whether I’ve agreed with their opinions or not. If I dissent, it’s not the end of the world. We chat about it, learn something, and move on.

While studying, I worked as a cellar hand at a nearby winery. I’d gained practical experience but was itching to work a harvest in California. So I approached a small winery that I admired in Sonoma about harvest positions, and was accepted. In taking the role, I expected that I’d be treated with the same dignity and professionalism that I’d experienced abroad. I was wrong.

A RUDE AWAKENING

When I arrived, I was shocked.

I’ve never seen a city as monochromatic as Healdsburg in all my life. In the span of three months, I only saw 10 black people. That’s not an estimate; I counted. One was another intern, six were tourists, and three worked at the Napa tasting room of Brown Estate, one of the few Black-owned wineries in the region.

Where is everyone? Did I miss the memo?

According to the 2019 U.S. Census estimates, about 4 percent of Sonoma’s residents are Black, compared to more than 13 percent nationwide. But it wasn’t only people who look like me who were conspicuously absent; it was all people of color.

I saw a few POC around town but I was surprised at how few Latinx people I saw out and about. Sonoma has a high percentage of people from the Latinx community — 27.3 percent compared to 18.5 percent nationally — yet I only saw them when they were taking their kids to and from school, or in the grocery store. They were not shopping in boutiques, sitting at bars, or dining at restaurants. The town’s lack of diversity almost felt deliberate.

It was creepy.

Luckily, the family I was staying with was warm and welcoming. So, I shook off the bad vibes and tried to get acclimated. On a few occasions, I went to a dive bar that was highly recommended to me by wine industry veterans. When I went in with white interns, we drew a few stares, but I was able to relax and enjoy myself. When I went by myself? It was a totally different story. The bartenders were cordial, but a couple of the patrons scrutinized my every move, which made me feel anxious, and as if I wasn’t supposed to be there. It was hard to enjoy my beer, and I never went back.

There was another bar down the street that was far more welcoming — it had a big “NO BIGOTS ALLOWED” sign above its bar, and indeed offered a more hospitable atmosphere. I remember wondering: Why did anyone bother sending me to the other bar if there were more welcoming spaces for POC? The answer is simple: My white colleagues don’t think about it, and they may not even realize that racial bias exists in such an establishment. There are so few BIPOC in the industry that diversity and inclusion training likely isn’t high on the agenda at most bars — or frankly in most parts of the wine industry.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

On my first day when I was completing my new-hire paperwork, the winemaker told me, “We aren’t going to make you sign an NDA like other wineries. But just know that we won’t say anything bad about you if you don’t say anything bad about us.”

That struck me as problematic. It’s difficult to bring awareness to and solve a problem if you’re never supposed to talk about it in the first place. There is this belief among some in wine that the industry has made strides in recognizing and moving toward racial equity, and doesn’t need to do anything further. However, one look at the diversity statistics shows that that simply isn’t the case. Tough conversations are the only way to get to a better place.

This can result in performative interactions. I was proudly told by an industry veteran I worked with that he “voted for Obama and listens to NPR.” In his mind, and those of other liberal white people I’ve talked to, there’s a belief that they’re not contributing to the problems of racial inequities in the industry; that they’re exempt from doing the work to address unconscious biases that might exist. It’s as if any discussion to the contrary will fracture the internal narrative they have about themselves, their friends, and their community. When that dissonance happens, they tend to shut down and get defensive instead of continuing the conversation. That leads to a standstill where no progress can happen.

SOWING THE SEEDS OF DOUBT

After our first week, I went to an intern party along with the winemakers from my winery. I was excited to meet people and to network, but it was a big disappointment. I was the only Black person there, but I was long used to that from my time in New Zealand. There are not a lot of Black people there, either, but my race never impacted how I was treated there.

I wasn’t used to this: “Where are you from?” someone would ask me. “I’m from Chicago, but I live in New Zealand,” I’d say. The person would furrow their brow. “New Zealand?” “Yep,” I’d say. “I went there for my master’s in enology and work as an assistant winemaker down there.” “Uh huh,” they’d say, and excuse themself.

It seemed to me that most people thought I was making up my history. They didn’t believe that I had gotten my master’s degree, that I lived in New Zealand, or that I used to be a sommelier.

Later, I overheard a white female winemaker whispering to one of the winemakers I worked with: “If she’s from New Zealand, why doesn’t she have an accent — and why is she Black?” I stepped right up and interjected, “Because I’m an expat.” “Oh, right … I guess that makes sense,” she said.

FIELDING UNCONSCIOUS BIASES

All the grapes that came through the winery were hand-sorted, which meant we were in for long days at the sorting table. We were all told up front that we’d get a slot each day to play whatever music we wanted while we sorted grapes.

“And I mean whatever you want. We had this girl last year, who’d only play pop music. And a couple years back, we had this guy who’d play the filthiest hardcore rap,” one of the winemakers said.

“Ha! Well, you won’t be getting a lot of pop out of me,” I said.

We both laughed and I thought that’d be the end of it, but it wasn’t.

Every other day for the first two weeks of sorting they reminded me that I could play “whatever music I wanted.” I think they thought I was listening to things they wanted to hear, but I’m into all kinds of things. Punk and rock are my go-tos if I’ve got work to do. They reminded me of the rap intern so much, I kept thinking: If you want to hear rap so bad, then play it yourself.

ESCALATING MICROAGGRESSIONS

Typically, it was just me and a team of guys working the sorting table. When you’re hand-sorting fruit for six-plus hours a day, seven days a week, for weeks on end, it’s preferable to work alongside people you can carry a conversation with. It’s absolute torture when every conversation is full of bias and microaggressions.

The person leading most of these conversations was an industry veteran. I’d been looking forward to learning from him. But it was clear that he already had our conversations outlined in his mind, as if on autopilot, and wasn’t looking for my input — or for a real discussion.

A typical conversation would go something like: “We had a little powdery mildew this year on a couple rows in this block so keep an eye out for it. What kinds of things do you see in New Zealand, Diana?” he’d ask. “We see powdery but a big issue for us is sour rot,” I’d say. He’d talk over me. “Yea botrytis is something we deal with here too in certain years. We counter it by – ” I’d interject. “…I said sour rot. We get botrytis too, but more often than not it’s sour rot.” He’d say: “It’s easy to confuse the two and a common mistake. You see botrytis damages the cells and then bacteria come in and do the rest. That’s what you’re getting.” “OK,” I’d say, knowing full well that the issue wasn’t that cut and dried.

For context, sour rot is caused by bacteria that find their way into split or damaged grapes. Botrytis is a fungus that can indeed cause cracks in grapes that allow the bacteria in. We had a fair bit of rain right before the 2018 harvest I worked in New Zealand, which caused the grapes to split and sour rot quickly took hold in our Chardonnay grapes. I remember the rains; I walked through the vineyards weekly and saw the grapes swell, retreat, swell, retreat, swell, and then split.

I harvested them and cut out the soft discolored berries. I sorted what was left in the winery with my peers to ensure no rot remained. I saw this phenomena in our student vineyard, the one I worked at, and other vineyards on the island. When I asked Kiwi winemakers what it was, they explained the complexities of sour rot, why it had affected this vintage, what to do about it in the vineyard, and how to keep it from spoiling the wine. That’s all to say: I was there. It was sour rot.

Yet the industry veteran wasn’t interested in hearing any of this. And while he had years of professional experience on me, it was insulting and demoralizing to have him dismiss my personal experience out of hand, as if I lacked the capacity to comprehend the difference between sour rot and botrytis. After a few sessions like this, it became apparent that he wasn’t interested in having actual discussions. I stopped investing energy in these conversations. They were a waste of energy and only upset me.

MISPLACED BLAME

Whenever I noticed something was out of place or a task unfinished, I’d correct it if I could and move on. It’s harvest, it’s busy, we’re all working long hours. Mistakes happen, and no one’s infallible. However, whenever the managers found something wrong, they’d always ask me about it first.

Dirty punch-down shaft? Diana, were you on punchdowns last night? Barrel room temperature control left turned off? Diana, did you do fermentation checks this morning? Labels put on the wrong side of a barrel? Diana, did [supervisor] show you how to properly label barrels? Fork-lift not charged? Diana…?

I will not pretend that I didn’t make mistakes. I’m human, I absolutely did. But I sure as hell didn’t make all of them.

I had never been blamed for so many errors in any other job I’d had. There were times when my denial wasn’t believed, and I had to point to work-order signatures to clear my name. This was distressing because it implied that they truly believed I was incapable of doing anything correctly. I take immense pride in everything I do, and I strive to avoid making the same error twice.

I can’t say with certainty why they constantly blamed me, but as the only harvest intern of color, the only female harvest intern, and the only American intern they’d had in years, I was the one who was continually singled out.

ASKING FOR HELP

After several weeks of microaggressions, false accusations, and gaslighting, I began to question myself, and the expertise I’d built over multiple harvests and a stint as an assistant winemaker. I raised my concerns with the winemaker, who listened, paused for a moment, and told me: “I don’t know why you and those guys never hit it off. I hear what you’re saying, and I’ll talk to them about it, but I’m sure that wasn’t their intent. Look, I’ve been doing this for a while now. Whenever something challenging comes at me, I keep going. Harvest is never going to be easy, but you’ve got to just keep moving forward no matter what. That’s what winemaking is: Making it happen no matter what.”

On some level, I get that, but if the only way to “make it happen” is by sacrificing my dignity and self-respect? No thanks. I’m good.

I love making wine, but keeping my head down and plowing ahead accomplishes nothing other than making it harder for the next BIPOC employee. Furthermore, the idea that I’m supposed to ignore what’s happening and take it because it’s harvest isn’t just offensive, it’s also a false choice. The last time I looked, addressing employee concerns doesn’t negatively impact wine quality. It’s called unconscious bias for a reason, and if we don’t bring awareness to it and have conversation out in the open, nothing will change in our industry.

By this point, it was late October and I’d been at the Sonoma winery since August. I started questioning if even I wanted to make wine anymore. Maybe I could get a job as a lab tech instead? I knew that if I continued on, I’d lose my passion for wine. We’d finished processing our last lot of fruit earlier that week, and they said they wanted to go down from three interns to two. I’d seen what I’d wanted to see and felt that I’d suffered more than enough. So I volunteered to leave.

MOVING ON

In my seven years in the industry, I’ve met dozens of winemakers as a sommelier and burgeoning winemaker. I’ve traveled around the globe. I’ve had deep engaging conversations with many legends in the business, and they’ve actually listened and engaged with me instead of anticipating or imagining what I’d say. I knew what I’d just experienced in Sonoma wasn’t normal everywhere — it was just the norm there.

But how many POC don’t? How many do one harvest, have a bad time, and then swear off the entire wine industry? How many Robert Mondavis have we lost? How many Paul Drapers or Heidi Barretts has the industry turned off through its intolerance? How many budding scientists who were interested in researching smoke taint? How many up-and-coming engineers with innovative viticulture solutions?

That’s what made me want to share my experience. My hope is that it will educate allies and wineries — especially smaller companies — on how they can be more inclusive and check their unconscious biases. My hope is that it will empower domestic and foreign POC to advocate for themselves should they be faced with similar situations. That this essay encourages them to ask questions in their interviews beyond the varieties produced and the winemaking philosophy of the places they’d like to work. That vintners and winemakers start questioning their unconscious biases and ask how they can support their interns and BIPOC staff.

I need to make one thing very clear: I love California. I’ve had too many good memories there to count. It’s where I discovered my love of wine and came of age. It’s where I thought I’d cut my teeth and carve out a name for myself as a winemaker. Instead, after harvest, I packed up my things and loaded up my car. I turned the key in the ignition and headed East on I-80 as fast as my Honda would take me. While I’d completed this cross-country journey back to Chicago several times before, that was the first time I left questioning whether I’d ever be back.

The article How Microagressions in a Sonoma Winery Made a Black Winemaker Question Her Profession appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/black-winemaker-microaggressoins-sonoma/