A thread on why white folks shouldn’t be telling BIPOC stories by themselves, and why Black and Brown artists should be given the resources and autonomy to tell their own narratives.

During the summer, when the Black Lives Matter protests were starting, I had several white people tell me they never had a Black friend in their life. They had never been around Black people enough to realize the issues the community faced, or that racism still existed.

Know what that means? There is entire groups of people in this country STILL who’ve never developed a genuine relationship or understanding of the Black community. Their ONLY reference of Black folks is what they’ve seen in the media (Movies, Tv, Theatre, the News)

When you take a step back and look at what is the white American storytelling tradition? It’s stereotypes. One of white American theatre history’s biggest contribution to world history is minstrel shows and plays based on racial stereotypes.

SO if the white American storytelling tradition is stereotypes, and many while folks only understanding of Black people is from these stories.....well we are in a BAD situation.

And this isn’t something that’s in the past. Digital Blackface, Blackcents, and culture vultures are a modern way white folks use racial stereotypes as entertainment to profit off the Black community.

If this is the white American storytellers tradition, how can we trust them to tell our stories? Don’t get me wrong, there are instances of white artists being in collaboration with us that have turned out really well. But we NEED to have power in those collaborations and a voice

Unfortunately, white folks think they are the ultimate storytellers and can depict anyone accurately. Take American Dirt for example.

A white person wrote a whole novel about a Mexican Immigrant experience and she was called the next Steinbeck by white critics. But when actual Mexican people read it? Yup, you guessed it. All stereotypes.

I was working for a theater when the book came out, and the AD at the time recommended it to the staff. He shrugged off the controversy and outcry from the Latine community about how the book was inaccurate and harmful because “artists should be able to tell any story.”

American history classes white washes curriculum, American storytelling is littered with stereotypes, geographical racism has kept white communities separate from Black and Brown ones, and segregation wasn’t that long ago.

So tell me white folks, WHAT is it that you have that makes you think you can tell a BIPOC story without BIPOC artists??? You have no frame of reference of our experiences because this country has made sure that you wouldn’t. It’s been deliberate in erasing our humanity.

This is why simply putting some BIPOC actors on a stage or screen while the entire creative team, producers, admins, and tech crew are all white and calling it “representation” ain’t gonna cut it no more.

We need Black and Brown folks in the writers room, on the producing team, leading the technical design, in the directors chair, be the head of hair and make up. We need the power to be able to accurately tell our stories

Because when the dominant culture only know you as a stereotype, you’ll never get the freedom to be a real 3 dimensional human being. On screen, on stage, or in the streets.

White folks, honestly, should only be working on BIPOC stories when BIPOC artists come to you for your help. Mobilize your privilege to assist with resources and opportunities....then de-center yourself.

I promise you the artistic outcome of that will be far greater than if you come up with a story on your own and feel you have the ability, and right, to tell it yourself.