Okay, I think this is the final thing I want to say about Jess Krug.
There’s such a ripple effect of harm and rage that’s happening right now.
First and foremost I think it’s important to center darker-skinned black and Latina women who feel ONCE AGAIN, structurally exhausted by all of this. That an imaginary light-skinned “Afro-Latina” got to do all of this chicanery is an absolute punch in the gut and a reminder of the foul daily reality of colorism for dark-skinned black folk in particular. Darker skinned black people suffer every damn day form colorism, a system that benefits me even as I suffer from anti-black racism. Black folk in nonblack spaces disproportionately look like me, and it reproduces such fuckery that dark skinned black folk FEEL EVERY FUCKING DAY. Do not minimize this. Do not say yes, but… Do not do this. These folk are sharing so much pain and frustration and rage, especially in the ways that EVEN IN BLACK SPACES they get shunted last, and expected to shut up and take things for the rest of us.
Second, black folk in general who work on African/AfAm studies are PISSED and rightfully so. Especially African history, which is such a white-dominated field–the majority of the significant journals in our field are run by white men (and don’t get me started on the shitty, casual entitlement and racism of Ben Lawrance at the ASR who not only was racist to me, then sent me a lengthy, self-important rambling letter/reflection on his own privilege that he felt should be the editorial for the ASR for September and EXPECTED ME TO READ AND PROOF IT). Further, these white folk take up black space, black experience, and black lives and turn a profit, make careers, and feel entitled at best, or at worse, a sickening sense of noblesse oblige/uplift for poor Africans. It is exhausting, and why I genuinely hate being at ASA.
Third, simultaneous with the fact that colorism is very fucking real and dark-skinned black folk HAVE VERY FUCKING RIGHT TO BE PISSED, mixed race and light-skinned black folk like myself are FEELING A CERTAIN TYPE OF WAY. This is secondary to and never should be highlighted over the real struggles dark-skinned black folk face, but there is a particular sense of dread, rage, and anxiety that I know a lot of us light-skinned black folk feel about not being “black enough,” not being demonstrably provably black enough. This is not a bid for sympathy, and I recognize that this response from darker skinned black people is an understandable and 100% legit response to structural colorism. But part of this means there’s a lot of talk about light skinned folk not being “really” black that….hurts. I get it. I get why darker skinned folk say it and also recognize the very structural fuckery we benefit from, and I ain’t gonna critique that at all. But if white people also start saying shit like, “they’re not really black”–i swear to Christ I will come for you and make you cry. This is not your ministry, this is not your space. Light skinned black folk are in their fucking feelings (honestly when are we fucking NOT!?), and we will be unpleasant if white folk start trying to say who’s “really black” so don’t try. We have plenty of practice, plenty of baggage, and like knife practice.
Fourth, this once again underscores the RANK FUCKERY of academic hierarchies and power. Krug has tenure. She gets to weigh in on plenty of junior scholars, especially women of color and has the power to make or break careers. She can destroy obs in an academy using space she hasn’t earned, and lies she tells. She also, is under no obligation to resign, repent, or face any real consequences. See the many whites playing Indian who finagled tenured careers. They said a mea culpa, sucked up the rage and hurt, and KEPT TEACHING NATIVE LIVES now as white people BECAUSE THEY CAN. There are no career consequences here for Krug and IT MAKES ME FUCKING NUTS BECAUSE EVERY DAY I AM ANXIOUS AND AFRAID FOR MY CAREER AS A FAT QUEER BLACK MAN WITHOUT TENURE. FUCK.
Fifth, you know how many trans folk are gonna have to hear shitty takes from people who want to make Krug and Dolezal analogous cases for their shitty-TERF takes? Lemme tell you, they’re already starting, not even counting Harry Potter’s shitty creator.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
blakekathryn
prguitarman
izzy806
gummygunk
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
pixelskylines
