just do the work
In the age of social media, it’s hard to resist the urge to share visual proof of everything we do. This has been a difficult time for Black people and I find it interesting that THIS time, so many folks are vowing to make a change. I appreciate all the folks on Instagram who are uplifting Black creatives by sharing our work. I appreciate the folks showing up at rallies day after day. I appreciate the readers who reach out to tell me that my poetry has comforted them. I do not appreciate the folks who are not Black and somehow need me to know what they’re doing. No cookies here, folks. Just do the work. Don’t play show and tell or expect Black people to pat you on the back. Time will tell just how many of these gestures are genuine or just performative…
And before you ask a Black author to donate books or free labor, take a look at #publishingpaidme and spread the word. Publishers are doing something on social media today but it rings hollow when you look at how few Black people work in publishing, and how little Black creatives get paid relative to their White peers.
