Race, Gender, Pretty Awkward, Quick Follow Up
[Roxane Gay / August 27th, 2009 / Random Meandering Thoughts ]We are really enjoying the conversations taking place on our post about race and gender. We look forward to having more of these conversations in the future.
I do want to point out a few things:
- The post was not meant to be definitive, canonical, or in any way an all-encompassing final word on such a subject. That’s not at all possible. It was meant to begin a conversation, which it did.
- We don’t have any answers.
- I failed to acknowledge in my initial post that everyone holds some kind of privilege at least here in the US and I think it is important to know that.
- Whenever the word “race” is mentioned, people seem to have a hard time reading the words which precede and follow.
- There may not be a way to discuss issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, etc, without getting defensive.
- Dicksizing when it comes to ways in which we are marginalized is not productive. Your experiences do not negate mine and vice versa.
- The writing always always comes first, editorially speaking. We are confident that is reflected by the work we publish.
As I read many of the comments, I was reminded of writer and performance artist damali ayo, who (in 2007, I believe) disseminated a really useful, clever handbook on dealing with racism in which she explicitly addresses both white people and people of color. I offer that PDF here, without additional commentary.
I think it was brave of you to open the discussion. It sure got passionate in there for some people. I hope everyone took some time to think today. Thanks for that.
i thought it was a great post, as well, and a valuable discussion. for a while i considered posting a comment, but knew there was no way i could fully express anything in my head concerning the topic in any coherent fashion.
i also think this is a perfect follow up. writers and editors (and everyone else) are doing themselves a great disservice if they do not have these sorts of questions in their own minds. having the ability to examine such issues, even in the face of not being able to ever solve them, goes a long way to making us better in all the things we seek to do in life.
Count me in as someone who unexpectedly spent the afternoon reading and reloading, and is appreciative of those who made that happen.
Thank you, Roxane, for your insightful posts. I completely agree with you on all accounts, and appreciate that you’ve brought this up for discussion. I especially appreciate the fact that even though some of the responses were indeed defensive, you treated each comment with respect and care. Bravo! As a woman, I have to say that I am continually dismayed at the under-representation of women in publishing. I recently read the contributors notes for a much-anticipated new literary magazine, and was dismayed that out of 16 contributors, 4 are women. Unfortunately, this happens all the time. So, again, thank you. I think these conversations are absolutely necessary.
Roxane, I am ever impressed by your grace, intelligence, talent, and bravery. Fly.
[...] a follow-up post, Gay provides damali ayo’s brialliant manifesto to end racism: “I Can Fix [...]