re: ownvoices writers being afraid of writing their own truths. black boys in YA stories are used as martyrs, side characters, passive love interests, props. gatekeepers assume that black teen boys are illiterate so stories should be about them but not written for them

this is so ingrained that when you arrive as a black boy in the industry speaking out against it, the people in the space feel empowered to shut you down. their books leave them with the rationale that you don’t actually exist—only the concept of you is real, and they own that

this is dehumanizing. you say it’s dehumanizing. they say you have no right to feel dehumanized because you are not real—your identity as currency is the only thing that is real. you only matter after you are dead, at which point they will cry to absolve themselves of guilt

this is the reality for black boys in YA. the reality for black boys seeking to be YA writers is that the books that are thrown at them about their “own” experience teach them to brutalize themselves on the page as a first instinct, to get white people to pay them

black pain is important as representation yes - when done realistically. black pain that is nonsensically written to the point of cheap entertainment is harmful. YA will continue to pretend it’s helpful while intercepting ownership so that they can co-opt profitable experiences