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So, now that #JuneteenthBookFest is over, let's talk about the culture that surrounds some of these festivals out here.
*settles into chair*
*settles into chair*
I want to highlight an interview I did about how the idea for JBF came about and what drove the need to make an all Black book fest. You know, besides the obvious answer of "why the hell not." https://bookandfilmglobe.com/creators/juneteenth-book-fest-celebrates-black-authors/
During the height of self-quarantine, practically all of the book festivals and events went virtual. A few new ones even popped up. And I noticed that somehow, with people able to participate from their couches and beds, a disturbing number of panels were still all white.
I know I'm not the only one who noticed, either.
No one has to pay to send anyone anywhere, put them in a hotel, feed them, none of that, and you STILL couldn't be bothered to put BIPOC on your panels.
*clicks tongue*
No one has to pay to send anyone anywhere, put them in a hotel, feed them, none of that, and you STILL couldn't be bothered to put BIPOC on your panels.
*clicks tongue*
So! I started planning what I'm still calling Black Book Week. Five days of nothing but Black creative content pertaining to the art and traditions, there's more than one, of Black storytelling.
That's still a thing I'm trying to do, just so you know.
That's still a thing I'm trying to do, just so you know.
Fast forward to June and, as the article states, JBF comes about. Here's where I want to poke at something in particular.
"Panel conversations also had a notably more convivial air than at many festivals, with authors trading good-natured jabs and jokes throughout. That naturally grew out of the festival’s all-Black roster, McKinney says."
I...don't think I've attended a single festival, con, conference, where there wasn't at least a handful of super cringey moments, minimum, during programing. Nothing "scandalous," but still plenty problematic.
Like a white woman saying that white supremacists were just misunderstood and looking for a sense of family and belonging, "like gang members."
Or the time a white man threw a fit then packed up his stuff to leave a panel early when I told him that Black people can more readily and easily write white people than the reverse, same way women can more readily and easily write men.
Then there was one time a con volunteer told a woman wearing a hijab that it was offensive to the con that she didn't think she could take the hijab off in the green room. Said that. To a GUEST'S FACE.
And we all remember that lovely, LOVELY YallWest panel....
And we all remember that lovely, LOVELY YallWest panel....
Anyway, my point is, lots of these events fail to focus on how to facilitate an environment where BIPOC authors don't have their guard up ready to defend against the next blatant offense, because we know it's coming. From wanting to rub Black authors for good luck, to asking
where Asian authors are "really" from, to telling just about any non-white person with an accent to "try and speak clearer, please." Like....the list goes on and on and on and on!
And I'm not talking about the guests, these are the people running the show! The moderators! Other panelists! The folks behind the scenes!
And I'm not even getting into how these events keep inviting the troublemakers back. Letting them re-traumatize everyone all over again.
All because they're a big name and will draw the crowd. The safety and wellness of BIPOC authors, even the more popular ones if you wanna use that reasoning, takes a back seat.
I'm trying to stay focused because this thread could very well go in several different directions. From festivals focusing on clout instead of community, to people treating these events as an opportunity to network and hobnob instead of a chance to serve the kids they look after.
Anyway, organizers need to do a better job of making sure the spaces they curate are actually inclusive. This means those spaces are going to have to be actively exclusive of certain people and viewpoints. *shrug*
Buuuuuut that's a whole different conversation.
I'm just saying, if you're going to have an inclusive and safe environment, you can't be like "everyone is welcome." But y'all not ready for that.
