#decoloniszing

[typodescript]

Hello, My name is Madhu (she/her) and I am working on a project along with a bunch of volunteers called decoloniszing our bookshelves, where we focus on creating a catalogue that brings books by marginalised authors to the forefront, and also create conversations about the effects of colonialism on literature and accessibility. While we have found great resources to enrich our catalogue with literature, we haven't come across resources that catalog literature by people with disabilities. 1/2

I was wondering if you knew such resources, and just a general idea of how we can truly make our project accessible. We already provide alternative text for a lot of our social media posts, but is there something more that we can do? 2/2

Hey, I don’t have much of an answer for you. I haven’t really come across these resources either. I’ll list what I have found at the end. As far as making your project accessible, alt text is a good step. Alt text will help screen reader users, but it leaves out low vision users who may not rely on a screen reader. So using a large, clear font with a decent contrast ratio (high contrast may be difficult for those with dyslexia to read, low contrast is hard for those with visual issues to read) and limited color palette (color blind friendly) for any infographics would be beneficial. If it’s viable, a text description is always good but with places such as twitter it’s difficult to do that. Transcribing audio helps the Deaf / HoH community or anyone with auditory processing issues. Avoid flashing images or videos. There’s a lot of information out there for making content accessible (i suggest starting here).

here’s a website specifically for hiring disabled writers

Reclamation press:  We publish books by people within diverse disability communities

Oleb Books seeks to expand representation of disability in literature by publishing disability stories by writers with disabilities.

Disability Studies Quarterly has a lot of useful information to read

Here’s a list of books & movies about “the disability experience” (not all of them are by disabled authors)

goodreads list of books by disabled authors

an old course outline for “disability in literature” comes with a reading plan and book list

Top 13 books for understanding disability

What does it mean to be a disabled writer?

If anyone else has any resources, please share!

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Okay Tumblr,

Over the past few days there have been wonderful posts by wonderful people that are very important and ought to be shared. However a lot of these posts are linked to Twitter/ Instagram and are shared through automation, and hence they lack Image Descriptions or Alternative Texts.

We have formed a Tumblr group where we share these posts, and individual volunteers can repost them with IDs.

If anyone is interested in joining the group of volunteers and pages dealing with social activism to collaborate, DM @decoloniszing ! Or send a request to join.

This is important because accessibility shouldn't be a brownie point or an add on. It should be normalised.

And please give this a signal boost.♥️⚡

@typodescript @wildatheartandweirdontop

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A post shared by redfish (@redfishstream) on Sep 24, 2020 at 2:30pm PDT

That time Malcolm X met Fidel Castro in Harlem 60 years ago on this day.

A year after the Cuban Revolution, Castro and his delegation came to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, but the management of the Manhattan hotel the delegation booked now refused to house them after the US government already pressured other hotels to reject the Cubans. Upon learning of their situation, Malcolm X invited them to come uptown to Harlem, to stay at the Black-owned Hotel Theresa, where MalcolmX said he would be greeted with open arms.

People from Harlem received the 34-year-old Cuban revolutionary leader by the thousands, with masses huddling round-the-clock in front of the hotel. Castro was to them that bearded revolutionary who had told white America to go to hell and his stay there was an important acknowledgement of the struggle African Americans shared with the rest of the Third World in resisting racism, colonialism and imperialism.

When the 35-year-old Malcolm X received Castro they talked about the incredible inhospitality the Cuban party had experienced at the Shelburne hotel, the insulting demand made upon them for a $10,000 deposit against damage to be expected from Cuban "barbarians" after a racist slander campaign in the press that included baseless charges of plucking live chickens at the hotel. But above all, Fidel spoke of Harlem. "I always wanted to come to Harlem," said Castro, "but I was not sure of what kind of welcome I would get. When I got the news that I would be welcome in Harlem, I was happy" The Black people of the United States were not as brainwashed by the government's anti-Cuban propaganda as whites, he continued.

Revolutionary Cuba, a majority Black nation, was wiping out racial discrimination. Cubans, Africans and the Black people of the United States were all in the same boat. "I feel as if I were in Cuba now. I feel very warm here." Malcolm X responded that it was indeed true that, "We in Harlem are not addicted to all the propaganda the U.S. government puts out." And then they embraced.

"As long as Uncle Sam is against you, you know you're a good man," Malcolm X told Castro.

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[ID: Tweet by olivia braley; @OliviaBraley

"normalize & encourage putting content warnings on submissions! sometimes i sit down w my coffee & am suddenly reading graphic sexual assault, & while i totally support the writer in creating content about this (& other difficult subjects), i could have used a heads up" end ID]

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The most visible narratives in literature are often those of the people in power. The central part of our project is creating a website that challenges these dominant narratives by specifically creating space for lesser-known works by authors who belong to marginalised communities, so that their voices can be heard just as loudly.

Text ID:

Slide 1: “What are we building?”

Slide 2: “A website that serves as an accessible catalogue of literature that receives data from local bookstores and libraries from all around the world, prioritises literature by people of marginalized and intersectional identities, challenges the patriarchal, eurocentric and colonial biases within which our understanding of literature often operates.” end ID.

The website we're trying to build works like every other catalogue, except the algorithm prioritises universal accessibility and neutrality of search results over everything else. By neutral, we don't mean politically neutral but actively distancing the algorithm from our own biases and prejudices. We acknowledge that this project will always be work-in-progress that way because the entirety of search-based algorithms that exist today have been built with a "profit over ethics" business model.

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Call for submissions 📢

We are also happy to accept pitches for autobiographical narratives (in any form– written essays to zines) with decolonization as the theme. Last date to submit the pitch: 14th of October.

ID: “Are you a bookstagrammer? Do you write book reviews? Do you procrastinate by reading instead of studying/ working (we see you!)?

Submit to The Zing! We are specifically looking for book reviews that serve the purpose of recommendations.

The theme for our first issue is decoloniszation.

So the book you choose to review must be centred around decoloniszation. There are no restrictions on the genre of the book you are recommending-- poetry, fiction, non-fiction, everything is welcome.

Last date to submit: 21st of October. Read the submission guidelines in our bio.” end ID

Reblog

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Call for Volunteers📢📢

dob is committed to breaking away from oppressive algorithms and, information technology. But to build a website like this we need people who understand how sociopolitical mobility AND distribution of information function.

It would truly be a shame if we build a website that just ends up replicating Google and Amazon, and for that we need the expertise of radical librarians. It doesn't matter if you are just a student.

If you have a background in Library Sciences, gender and ethnic studies DM us!

We can't provide monetary compensation at this point in time because we're entirely comprised of volunteers, but we do assure a wholesome experience!

Please amplify this message, thank you.

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Text ID: Five Images with the following captions:

The sz is open to interpretation, it’s our little secret but some really cool interpretations of it so far have been:

“I think the reason behind including both in the name, and thus purposely misspelling it, is a rejection of colonial standards. British English is what is considered “correct” in India, but only because of colonization. English, in itself, is a product of colonization and while its global spread across countries facilitates international communication, it also privileges those who have had a chance to learn it, thus effectively excluding non-English speakers from global, international discussions.

Although there is positive usage in the widespread use of English, globalization and the expansion of the English language have also resulted in oppression and inequality, and a form of linguistic colonialism. Using both ‘s’ and ‘z’ in the name can highlight all of this, bringing attention to the fact that there inherently cannot be a “right” or a “wrong” way when it comes to language.”

“Honestly, I am not sure about the usages of these alphabets but I believe it is an attempt at curating our own vocabulary and grammar different from the existing dominant vocabulary. I draw this idea from the scholarships of Feminist movements, Dalit movements and Black lives matter movements, where the Vocabulary itself is either patriarchal of hegemonic, leaving no gap for emancipatory prospects. Therefore, an attempt has been made consciously to move away from the dominant narratives and vocabulary to try and create our own spaces where our voices would be heard. I believe this is one such attempt.”

“I think it is an attempt to accommodate both the American and British version of the word in order to emphasize on a complete rejection of all Western influences”

What are your thoughts? Mention them in the comments below! End ID.

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This summit was beautiful and we were so blown away with the nuances that were discussed by all the speakers and panelists.

Some key themes of the summit:

Ending capitalism and re-envisioning socialism

Abolishing the police state and the PIC

Ending imperial wars by the United States against vulnerable countries

Ending the violence of economic sanctions and embargos

Tackling poverty and hunger

Tackling the rise of right wing and left wing authoritarianism in countries

Tackling patriarchal violence

Ending colonial theft of land from Indigenous people

Ending ecological violence and fascism

Ending white supremacy

The event was also streamed in Espanõl, Français and Portugûes.

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♥️

Reblog if your page is a safe space for anyone of any nationality and ethnicity.

Reblog if your page is a safe space for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community.

Reblog if your page is a safe space for anyone with a disability or disorder.

Reblog if your page is a safe space for anyone who has experienced or is experiencing trauma.

Reblog if your page is a safe space.

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Introducing our public calendar!

We want to use our platform & reach to promote and support events by people from marginalized communities. If you want us to promote your event*, fundraiser, etc, you can email us the poster along with a short description and a link.

Spread the word and reblog

*Please read the submission guidelines carefully.

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Call For Volunteers

We are actively looking for volunteers who would be willing to write image descriptions and alternative text for our social media! If you're interested/ know someone who would be interested, follow the link below:

Get in Touch

Please amplify! 🌼⚡

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Introducing, *drumroll*

ID: “The Zing”, written in bold.

ID: caption, “Unfortunately, search engine algorithms make it very difficult for underrepresented narratives to be seen or heard. We want to actively tackle this and make it easier for these narratives to surface.

The Zing is a monthly curatorial newsletter by team dob– dedicated to celebrating and promoting art and knowledge by diverse communities.” end ID

ID: caption with a little doodled envelope in the bottom left corner, “Subscribe to receive decoloniszed book recommendations, watch lists, playlists, and more in your inbox every month! Link in our bio! ” end ID

Subscribe to the Zing!

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Text ID: Tweet by GOATIANA, @oranicuhh

"you gotta stop telling yourself that if you were prettier, or richer, or slimmer that someone will treat you the way you deserve. you *deserve* that now." end ID.

Don't let capitalism make you feel like you aren't enough.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Caravan (@thecaravanmagazine) on Sep 28, 2020 at 9:58pm PDT

ID: Graffiti on the wall: "Who do you call when the police murders?" end ID.

TW: violence, police brutality.

"In February, a young man named Faizan was pictured in a video, lying almost unconscious, while the police beat him and four others and forced them to sing the national anthem, while taunting them to ask for azadi (freedom). He died in a hospital soon after he was released from police custody, late on 25 February".

Tantray writes in his photo essay on the Delhi violence. "The police hit my child with sticks; his mother, Kismatoon, told me. She added that police from the Bhajanpura and Jyoti Nagar police stations beat and abused him, and described how he had severe bruises all over his body and mouth, and had found it difficult to breathe and move his hands. He couldn't even drink milk, couldn't even drink a Frooti."

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Each age, for instance, re-interprets Shakespeare, not because Shakespeare changes, but because despite the existence of numerous and reliable editions of Shakespeare, there is no such fixed an trivial object as Shakespeare independent of his editors, the actor played his roles, the translators who put him in other languages, the hundreds of millions of readers who have read him or watched performances of his plays since the late sixteenth century. On the other hand it is too much to say that Shakespeare has no independent existence all, and that he is completely reconstituted every time someone reads, acts, or writes about him. In fact Shakespeare leads an institutional or cultural life that among other things has guaranteed his eminence as a great poet, his authorship of thirty-odd plays, his extraordinary canonical powers in the West. The point I am making here is a rudimentary one: that even so relatively inert an object as a literary text is commonly supposed to gain some of its identity from its historical moment interacting with the attentions, judgements, scholarship, and performances of its readers. But, I discovered, this privilege was rarely allowed the Orient, the Arabs, or Islam, which separately or together were supposed by mainstream academic thought to be confined to the status of an object frozen once and for all in time by the gaze of Western percipients.

Orientalism Reconsidered, Edward Said.