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When speakers visit universities during Black History Month students seek wisdom, fellowship, & Agape love from these speakers. There is so much emotional labor required.
Please don’t expect me to speak for free at your university during Black History Month.
1/7
When speakers visit universities during Black History Month students seek wisdom, fellowship, & Agape love from these speakers. There is so much emotional labor required.
Please don’t expect me to speak for free at your university during Black History Month.
1/7
You should never expect a Black intellectual, artist, minister, or professor to speak at your university for free during any time. This country has received too much free labor from us.
2/7
2/7
But—even if you mean well—a university should never, ever, contact anybody African American and ask them for free labor during Black History Month—especially when they do work on slavery.
3/7
3/7
Universities always pretend they have limited budgets.
But find money when they want to pay white rock bands, white politicians, and other white speakers sometimes upwards to $200k—while asking Black intellectuals and grassroots artists to speak for little or no money.
4/7
But find money when they want to pay white rock bands, white politicians, and other white speakers sometimes upwards to $200k—while asking Black intellectuals and grassroots artists to speak for little or no money.
4/7
The symbolism of a university asking somebody who does work on slavery—that is to say, forcibly seized free labor— to speak at your university for free during Black History Month (or at any time) is incredibly insensitive and possibly micro-aggressive.
5/7
5/7
Finally, if your university has had racist scandals, it is definitely insulting for you to ask me for free labor during Black History Month.
It is not my job to be the “clean up woman” for the racist image of your institution—and definitely when you aren’t paying me.
6/7
It is not my job to be the “clean up woman” for the racist image of your institution—and definitely when you aren’t paying me.
6/7
Do you see how I just dropped these Black helpful hints for free?
And I said all that with the deepest of love and respect.
Now, share that.
7/7 Fin.
And I said all that with the deepest of love and respect.
Now, share that.
7/7 Fin.
