Thread by @heathersdesk

Hey y'all. Gonna make you aware of a situation involving a white LDS creator/influencer in the knitting/crocheting/fiber community who just got called out on her racism. You know, in case she tries to galvanize white supporters from this community to defend her when it goes down.

Some of y'all might remember Kristy Glass from the I'm a Mormon campaign. Her video made it through the "We Don't Say Mormon Anymore" rebrand and you'll find it here.

She has a popular Youtube channel where she interviews makers all over the yarn crafting industry. Pattern designers, yarn dyers, shop owners, everyone who's anyone in a global, multi-million dollar industry. Those of you who knit likely already know her name.

Well, a couple years back, the entire community had a moment of reckoning for how it treats/overlooks black, indigenous, and LGBTQ consumers and creators in that community. It's an ongoing conversation that white people have tried to silence so they can "get back to knitting."

Well, when that didn't work, a new approach emerged. Rather than pretending black makers and crafters don't exist or belong, let's exploit and make money off of their presence instead and show how "woke" we are at the same time.

That's what Kristy Glass has been doing for years.

In the words of Adella Colvin, who blew up Kristy's spot on Instagram today, there is a brand of white social media influencer in maker communities who collect black and indigenous people "like Pokemon." They don't care about BIPOC. Just clout.

Here's the link so you can hear what Adella has to say in her own words.

I've followed Adella for years. If she says something is a problem, I trust her implicitly. She doesn't say stuff like this to cause trouble. She does it to invite change.

instagram.com/tv/CWvvpxgKXVg…

Adella shared her own experience of when Kristy tried to do this to her. She also has firsthand experience of watching her do it to other black people. Specifically, she's calling out Kristy's business model of targeting newer BIPOC creators and having them pay HER for exposure.

You know what's worse than expecting someone to work for free because "exposure" doesn't pay anybody's bills?

Charging black and brown people to work for you while they supply you with content. Adella called that exploitation and I agree with her.

"That sounds like a Yarn Folks problem. What you want us to do about that?"

1. As I said in the beginning, do not let her weaponize her whiteness/Mormon-ness if she tries. Based on how these conversations have gone down in the past, that's on the table.

2. It's another opportunity for us, as Mormon/adjacent folks, to reckon with the community that taught us it's okay to treat BIPOC people this way, to exploit their labor while providing entirely hypothetical value in return.

Our economy runs on money, not "exposure." Exposure doesn't pay bills or buy food. Pay people a fair price for the value they provide for you, IN MONEY.

And if you get caught NOT doing that with black and brown people, expect it to blow up in your face.

Adella isn't calling for anyone to unfollow Kristy Glass. But I will. Don't follow someone or give support to them when they treat people like this.

If she wants to have a brand that is inclusive/genuinely celebrates diversity, her heart needs to be in it. Not just her pockets.

Y'all who keep liking and sharing this summary, I'm putting this update here for your benefit.

As predicted, Kristy decided to act brand new about this entire situation. Adella, who is not having it, took her to task in public because she chose not act right in private.

This total disregard for black people and their experiences, their boundaries, and their patience for how openly disrespectful she is to them on a regular basis.

It has been going on with Kristy Glass FOR YEARS.

instagram.com/tv/CW2RK7rI5b3…

Do y'all have any idea how wrong you gotta be to get a black woman to publicly cuss you out while wearing her bonnet?

instagram.com/tv/CW2UVUwoOHF…

I didn't realize I was still following Kristy on Instagram because I'm an idiot, and she seems to think the only thing she has to apologize for are the out of pocket comments she made about Michelle Obama.

By the time a black person in America is publicly calling out a white person for being racist, it's because they've already amassed an entire collection of receipts as evidence and they're exhausted by *ongoing* behavior they never should've had to tolerate at all.

"Pray to the racist God you believe in and thank them that I'm not petty. Because if I was, I would post all the messages and screen shots I've received from other people about you"

is a paraphrase that is 1. not far off, and 2. 100%, in context, about Kristy being Mormon.

Which is to say, I now have the perfect comeback for the next person who gets uppity about me still calling myself Mormon.

"I don't actually know if God is offended when I call myself Mormon. It's never come up. But I know he's offended every time you say Jesus is white."

Now that I'm awake in daylight hours, I'm going to repeat some things for the people in the back.

1. I am Mormon. I am a religion writer about Mormonism. I originally posted this here to raise awareness to my Mormon/adjacent followers about racism in our community.

2. You may not think Kristy's religion is relevant to this conversation about her racism. I've been Mormon for fifteen years. I know it's relevant. There is real white supremacy in my church that needs to be rejected and dismantled. These conversations are how we do that.

3. I didn't bring Mormonism into this. Adella did, in the Live videos I linked here. If you haven't watched them, do not comment on my posts until you do. This space is for people who *listen* to and *learn from* black people.

4. I respect Adella immensely. I believe her. I trust her. Do not come into my space and disrespect her/any of the BIPOC makers who are giving me the opportunity to dismantle white supremacy in my religious community, just because you don't want to acknowledge it in Fiber World.

5. This is what "doing the work" in anti-racism looks like. This is what BIPOC are constantly asking us to do. You can be part of that work, or you can move along. But do not interrupt what is taking place here with white lady tears or confused bird noises. Learn something.