On reasons BIPOC scholars don't get tenured/promoted is because they're treated as crisis management teams. They aren't lazy or stupid. They're cleaning up messes. This is why white people have to learn to *see* and be *proactive.* Every crisis burns *days* of writing. +
Thoughtless and careless behavior has consequences. Anxious white people aren't charming. Happy-go-lucky white people aren't charming. "Rigorous" white people aren't charming. They're dangerous.
WHITE PEOPLE MUST BE AGITATORS. THE CALL MUST COME FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE. +
WHITE PEOPLE MUST BE AGITATORS. THE CALL MUST COME FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE. +
If you ask a BIPOC colleague for anything, follow through. Half-assery is disrespectful, full stop. Be a person that can pick up the baton in the anti-racist relay race. BIPOC scholars don't want praise, they want offers of labor and support so they can thrive. That's allyship. +
Balancing letting BIPOC experts shine and shouldering some burden is possible. Commit 10% of your work time to anti-racist activities. If everyone did that, BIPOC scholars wouldn't drown. And honestly, that extra 10% of scholarly expertise is probably self-indulgent anyway. +
Learn to write the statements, build the collaborative structures, avoid the missteps, have the radical imagination, and dream inclusively. Avoiding, ignoring, denying, hoarding, and gaslighting are sabotage, full stop. We have to do better, everyone has to do better.
*Ugh, typo. One reason. :)
To be clear, I mean anxious in a racial fear sort of way. Racial panics lead to poor judgment. And that's scary.
Didn't expect this to blow up! Since I have you here, white folks, *produce deliverables* and give BIPOC scholars credit, without expecting anything in return. That dismantles privilege. Power map your spaces, and create leverage and resources for BIPOC initiatives. Start today.
