Thread by @lisasharper

One hour before @andrehenry tweeted his revealing thread about .@RELEVANT’s unethical white patriarchal work culture I wrapped a recording session for RELEVANT’s new podcast. When other employees shared their stories I knew I could no longer lend my name to this platform. 1/

https://twitter.com/relevantpodcast/status/1191723928911302657

Over the last two months we have waited to see if @RELEVANT was as committed to re-forming the organization as it claimed to be in initial statements. #crickets 2/

Here’s the thing @RELEVANT : This will not go away. I waited to see what you would do before speaking. You had luxury of your choice of expert consultants to choose from. You were offered the opportunity to come together for a listening session with the aggrieved. 3/

You said no.

Where does that leave us—people of color and women and allies who held out hope that you would live up to your name and choose to write a better story? I’ll tell you where it leaves me... 5/

I’m clear. 6/

Money is not an excuse. There is funding available for DEI and systemic transformation. There were people waiting to help you do what needed to be done to move forward. 7/

But the most fundamental thing needed before funding is willingness to surrender absolute control and submit to the guidance of people of color and women. 8/

So, okay. You get to keep complete control—over a 21st century platform named “Relevant” that made up pen names that sounded like women of color when there were too many white male writers in an issue. 9/

Okay. You get to keep complete control of a platform that hired a black man to serve as managing editor, then took away his authority to manage or edit. But you still slapped his name and pic on your staff list. 10/

Okay. You get to maintain your white male leadership 15 years from a time when the majority in this nation will be POC. 11/

I’m clear like crystal. 12/

You have demonstrated no substantial commitment to the protection of and value for people of color’s and women’s voices and leadership within @RELEVANT’s workspace, I therefore rescind my commitment to your platform. 13/

In the words of Mother @DrMayaAngelou, you are showing us who you are and I, for one, am choosing to believe you. 14/

To be clear: What is needed to make things right at @RELEVANT ?
* Listening to the the aggrieved
*Confession of specific wrongs
* Repentance, Restitution and Reparation
* Re-formation of power structure and systems in a way that shares power and enforces accountability.
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