Thread by @WritersofColour

Media Diversified is Going on Strike
Founder @SamanthaAsumadu explains why #DoWeCountToo mediadiversified.org/2022/04/04/med…

Media Diversified's founder, Samantha Asumadu explains why we believe that in silencing ourselves, we will encourage others to speak up about anti-black and anti-gypsy racism #DoWeCountToo

In his seminal article Melanie Phillips wants to “destroy” the Muslim world Dr. Nafeez Ahmed asked, ‘Do people of colour, do Muslims, do migrants, do minorities, do people on the sharp end of racism, discrimination and white supremacism have the right to speak out?

Do they have the right to challenge, to oppose, to withdraw, to resist, to speak, to debate, when they see powerful institutions, often dominated by white people, promoting and rewarding individuals that serve to mainstream, legitimise and normalise hateful narratives?

Narratives which malign people of colour, Muslims, migrants, minorities and people suffering from racism, discrimination and white supremacism?’ #DoWeCountToo

On Saturday Twitter told us once again, we do not. #DoWeCountToo

https://twitter.com/robb_masters/status/1510593667257536521?t=WA3l9raRZUbtyq9MYHcuEw&s=19

Thus Media Diversified is calling a strike. It starts on Tuesday 4th April at 9am and will end Tuesday 19th April at 9am.

We do not expect others to join in this work strike. In fact we want you to post about it on your social media avcounts using the hashtag #DoWeCountToo

What we hope is that this strike will encourage independent platforms to stand up for their writers, neighbours to look out for their neighbours, people who have never met and only know each other online to stand up for each other.
#DoWeCountToo

For far too long people have not taken misogynoir seriously, you only have to look and the ongoing targeting of Diane Abbott or the horrific treatment of Child Q to see that. mediadiversified.org/2022/03/16/chi…

In her 2015 article Misogynoir vs. The New Politics @MayaGoodfellow wrote, “Ultimately the treatment of Diane Abbott – of which this is a mere snapshot – tells us what we need to know about race, gender and radical politics in the UK.

A black woman who challenges the status quo and won’t apologise for doing so will always be judged unfairly. Because too many subconsciously feel it’s not up to people “like her” to be the voice of opposition.”

She followed up this article in 2016 when journalist @MichaelLCrick decided it might be fun and fine to degrade her.

‘On Wednesday, political journalist for Channel 4 News Michael Crick decided to share on Twitter an excerpt froma conversation he supposedly had with a London cabbie: “You couldn’t vote for that Corbyn, could you?  Not for anyone that’s messed around with that Diane Abbott.”

Crick’s choice to cherry-pick this specific quote and make it public spoke volumes. 

Way back when European colonisers first interacted with people on the African continent, images of overtly sexual, supposedly unfeminine and crude black women were commonplace.

These dehumanising stereotypes have endured. When they’re not entirely written out of the picture, women of colour, and specifically black women, have their bodies held up for all in society to gaze upon.

Black women in the public eye can expect to be both lusted after and reviled at the same time’

We are also consistently shocked at how anti-GRT prejudice is completely normalised in the UK to the point of it being a punchline

https://twitter.com/WritersofColour/status/1490327978936520704?t=idZ6kxV6z3H0pYZtmKGkEg&s=19

And where it comes to anti-gypsy and traveller prejudice,  look no furher than the absolution Jimmy Carr experienced so quickly. Or the fact that David Baddiel’s latest public outing was a fluff piece in the @guardian about how much he loves cats.

https://twitter.com/SamanthaAsumadu/status/1505807218184265731?t=FHGbksBasBnqAxGbm6VyQA&s=19

We believe that in silencing ourselves, we will encourage others to speak up. #DoWeCountToo

https://twitter.com/GypsySocialist/status/1510599432991039498?t=hcY6a8VG5gBKRi6SPPvX-A&s=19

We call on Muslims, black, white and brown trans people, South Asians, Europeans, East Asians, North, South, East and West Africans, non-binary people, Philipinos, Haitians, white Americans, QLGBT, everybody with a heart to stand against the racists that are...

too afraid to look in the mirror as they see only mediocrity and a wasted life peering back at them.

They attack  those they think inferior. Those they think have more than they have. More intelligence, more humour, more beauty. More love.
It is envy.

Their daily digital lynching which @TwitterSupport not only tolerates but by not meting out any consequences, condones, are a throw back to days of slavery.
#DoWeCountToo

https://twitter.com/SamanthaAsumadu/status/1510188519980949510?t=fGNuDpmnsqKZRHQGUVECHg&s=19

We call on institutions to join in this national conversation on institutional mysogynoir and anti gypsy and traveller prejudice. 

What does your racism look like?

We demand that @TwitterUK articulates why they refuse to punish racists amd colonialists for misogynoir and anti-ziganism.
#DoWeCountToo

You don’t suspend these violent people, you won’t even delete the posts.
You ignore reports from black women andgypsies alike. Allowing them to continue to harass from accounts we have blocked.

It’s not good enough @TwitterUK. In fact you are no different to the collaborators of fascist regimes of past and present.
#DoWeCountToo

We can no longer let these people full of ugliness rule us with their colonial and state tactics.
We are all on the spectrum of intersecting challenges and on the flip sides strength. Let our fallibilities and our honesty be our strength.
#DoWeCountToo
mediadiversified.org/2015/03/08/sel…

From tomorrow morning at 9am @WritersofColour will be on strike and thus will not be using Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. There will be no new articles published. Only scheduled tweets will appear and retweets of you using the hashtag #DoWeCountToo 🙏🏾
mediadiversified.org/2022/04/04/med…

🤘🏿