Thread by @Ny_The_Creator

I didn't want to have to do this but oh well let's do it.

I spent the entire weekend listening to a bunch of nonsense after hearing the most racist stuff I've heard since I've entered the #WordPress community.

I tried to talk it out but since I cannot "prove" racism happened.

I'm going to just lay everything out and be done with it.

On Friday, Sept 23rd 2022, I was in my bed tuning in for an episode of @wptonicnv

Yeah I'm @ing people because I am fucking pissed.

WP Tonic is a show I have been on once in the past and also one I endorsed to newbies in the community.

I have never been more mistaken.

On Friday, a woman in the community by the name of @StephanieHudson I can't tag her because I blocked her and I'll get to why I did that in a minute. Made comments about an article that dealt with the company twilo. I'm going to warn you, it gets racist.

I am going to link the only file that we have left on it because while it was wrong enough to get the episode pulled, it still wasn't racism. Make that make sense to me.

But the story was that twilo would keep race in mind before firing 11% of their workforce. due to cuts. That was really it but it turned into a super racist talk about affirmative action and wokeness and being racist to white people. Stay with me now.

Here is the video

https://twitter.com/tomfinley/status/1573823717033009158?s=20&t=Cn5BCzBiG3f0SGbYFR0v9Q

Stephanie starts out by saying, "There is a middle ground, when you go from treating people of color differently to treating white people differently isn't that also racism?"

Yall this was over a company that said, we know historically minorities are laid off the most

And first when it comes to layoffs and we are going to keep that in mind when laying off people.

They didn't even say they would not lay off black people or fire only white people but that's where the convo jumped.

Read about what Twilo is doing here:
fortune.com/2022/09/14/twi…

Also remember when I said the other day people in the WordPress community are comfortable making racist comments from their work and professional spaces that link them back to #WordPress? All of this aside,

Check this out

@ghyatt_wpdev commented this with the same profile picture that he uses for his professional work and business.

That's how much people don't give a damn about being racist in the community.

For Alt text he said, "For flip sake enough with this woke sh*t (shit)

Now understand, I have laughed and even hugged Denwood. I have endorsed Tonic to other people of color.

Can you imagine the shock I felt when I witnessed this?

Also the video is down but Denwood and Stephanie go on to make comments about this being woke nonsense and possible racism against white people.

I wish they would put the video back up so you could see!

And what was the most shocking about all of this is that it wasn't the entirety of Tonic! Vito, John, Daniel all made comments to help Stephanie!!!

To try and show her live that she was treading dangerous and racist grounds.

Do you think she listened?

Only after I came to twitter and a few others to talk about how racist that episode was did people reach out to me.

And this was what was said.

A series of I'm sorry if what I said offended or hurt you

Not that it was wrong.

I have been told repeatedly that Stephanie comes from a place of well meaning at that she just needs an education.

The deep south is a place where lot's of people think like this and talking it out (ON TONIC) is the way to fix this.

I am from rural South Carolina where

I am from rural South Carolina where white women have told me the exact things Stephanie has said many times.

Out of a place of love and kindness because I'm a black woman

And I need to know how things work.

Not at one time did anyone reach out to me and ask me my background or history with this stuff. Just to have grace for someone who to this very second

Does not think they did anything wrong.

Do you know how humiliated I have been over this entire weekend??

How horrible it has been to sit and laugh and hug white men that would go behind me and take up for this thought process?

Who would tell me after my incident with Uber to prove racism or get over it?

I was very angry this entire time but today I cried.

Because I should've known better.

I am so heartbroken and hurt that I put my name on the line to endorse racist shit. I have lived in the South my entire life and this shit hurts PEOPLE.

Because it was not a slur

And because she didn't say she would do harm

It wasn't racism.

But that episode is now down

I can become a director in the WORDPRESS SPACE AN MY EXPERIENCES AND WORDS MEAN SO LITTLE TO PEOPLE!!!!

I have nothing more to say to @wptonicnv, Denwood, Stephanie or anyone else about this.

Black and white people in the WordPress community told me it would be a lost cause

AND I TRIED TO TALK IT OUT ANYWAYS!

I feel like a fool and I feel stupid, and I am incredibly hurt.

And this is going to hurt me for a long time.

Before I end this I want to say. The #WordPress community gave me amazing support. Some people have pledged to not go back on the show or listen to it. Some directly called out the show. Some have asked me how I'm doing since this happened.

Every single person who reached out to me understood it was wrong and doesn't represent the community. But for some reason, the party at fault doesn't.

That is ok because I want to move forward with the WordPress community.

And I will be fine. This isn't the first or last time someone has done racism and backed the racism up.

If it's not a slur or a violent action it's not racist

Just a harmful microaggression about black people and their jobs.

/s

If the episode wasn't racist, put it back up online for everyone to see and let the community decide.

@wptonicnv

Also, truly last thing. If anyone white can take this burden that I'm releasing and truly make them understand that they did a lot of harm to black and people of color with these statements, I will appreciate them forever.

Everything I said has gone over their heads.