this statement. i signed this not only because of what happened at HOPE yesterday, but also because of events that transpired at the *last* HOPE. (1/?)
2 years ago was my 4th HOPE, actually. i love this conf, its people, its vibe, and this culture. i consider myself lucky that i get to share this life with so many talented folks; learn from them and create with them.
i love all of america’s phone losers, and i am exceedingly happy to walk with all yall weirdos on this fucking planet, earth.
i read 2600 religiously, and have for over a decade. it has shaped my life, and this scene is my 🌎 i have met so many folks who i consider heroes, and i have had the amazing privilege to collaborate with these heroes to work of stuff that has, without a doubt, changed the world.
i am proud of us, and i am undeniably proud of our scene. flaws and all.
but, back to the last HOPE.
at the “state of the onion address”, Tor contributor, the inimitable Nima Fatemi, wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt.
at the “state of the onion address”, Tor contributor, the inimitable Nima Fatemi, wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt.
after he gave his amazing briefing, as the Tor project can be counted on to do reliably each time, he was met at the q&a with hostile “not-questions” from proto-fascists challenging our scene’s commitment to fighting for social justice while writing code.
(check the tape— this happened.)
Nima braved the questions admirably; he’s a fucking good dude, and a competent one — a genius— at that; and we all know that there’s always going to be “that guy” at any talk you give.
oh btw, this was also in the wake of “jakegake”: not the beginning of, but rather a BREAKPOINT IN, a continuous struggle our community (and every community) has with toxic rape culture. in a very cool maneuver, tor and HOPE secured a separate space to address this specifically.
that was groundbreaking.
so groundbreaking that, a few months later, we were still talking about it; how HOPE could actually serve as an ideal place to uplift and support folks who hack on shit, and also care about humanity. an executive for tor asked me, directly, if i agreed to that proposition.
i replied, “i’m not the right person to answer this question.” i was being cagey, for very personal reasons, stemming from my experiences at HOPE, and yesterday’s events crystallize it.
my safety at these events is dependent upon a very unique and intersectional set of conditions.
i am a black woman who hacks on shit. this puts me in a unique position in this space because, i am one in a tiny handful of people in the scene who are triple-vulnerable:
like all women, i really fear sexual violence. i am so grateful to friends and allies who have taken the mantle to fight this scourge in our scene, and everywhere else. yall are killing it, and i feel so much safer due to your effort.
but i am a woman of color. for so many reasons (that bear enumeration elsewhere) i don’t always benefit from your organizing efforts. i am never in a “whisper network”.
in fact, that lack of information has put me in an embarrassing spot, on more than one occasion, of being the naive, blind-sighted one, when someone gets booted from the scene for being a predator. because i never was warned.
finally, and most germane to this dialogue, i am black. this is the first time i have ever seen, and participated in, any effort to apply the same justice to straight-up fascists in our midst;
a vitally important act of advocacy that i need to continue to work in this work in this space.
this is the first time i have ever seen yall really come through. for me. 💕❤️. yall are responsible guys 💠 and i thank you.
but, let’s not pat ourselves on the back too much. the details are out there for scrutiny, and the work is not yet done. quite frankly, this should have been done years ago. it should NOT take a man wearing a hat or a shirt emblazoned with a fascist logo, to spur you to action.
you should have been listening to what these jackals have been saying while wearing their more subtle wardrobe. i have been for at least 10 years.
but kudos to yall; until yesterday, i felt that the enemy’s rhetoric was something that i just had to absorb. not any more. fascists, ur shit is OVER. people make the world go round.
