Thoughts on Fiber Community on IG - JUN 1, 2020 (Patreon Archive)

I'm writing this on Patreon as I want the IG space to be centered around Black voices at this time.I'm sure you might or might not have heard about a yt fiber business owner said some things that profits off the pain and trauma of Black death and violence against Black people.  

No one is claiming to be perfect. No one is saying mistakes can’t be made. Mistakes need to be met with consequences and accountability. Mistakes shouldn’t be used as an excuse to not right your wrongs.  

This business (and some other businesses) in the industry that are directly profiting off of the violence and death of Black bodies, the ability to “escape reality” to “just go back to knitting” and buy product is peak privilege, lots of yt privilege but this does not exclude non-black POC. 

While we are calling in/out our communities including family and friends about racism and Black Lives Matter, it’s important to note that the fiber community is just as much a community as our non-black communities.

I don’t feel comfortable being a part of a community that prioritizes ytness and serves the bare minimum of “inclusion”.

I continue to be on Instagram to disrupt the ytness of the fiber community. Seeing my face and my work changes the narrative of who belongs in spaces that should be for everyone. And yet this fiber community is steeped in covert yt supremacy lurking around, hiding behind yarn and crafts, only to come out to harass BIPOC and dismiss the realities of racism and yt supremacy any chance they get but especially when trauma is shared or when accountability is asked for. I’m losing more and more patience in being on the Instagram platform. I believed I could stay around for those who are tired of seeing just ytness in this craft. I stayed around for those who didn’t want just one singular vision and voice of what being a knitting designer looks like. I stayed around because I think representation of BIPOC in creative spaces are extremely important. 

I’m tired of seeing ytness continue to get by on social media platforms and go on with their business in the fiber community without anything effecting them. The harm is only done to BIPOC, it’s only done to those who speak up. It continues to be the work from our backs only that pushes for real change. But when change/anti-racism becomes a trend, these businesses who have done nothing before are suddenly on board these causes, praised for their stance, and they profit without ever having to lift a finger. For me this aspect is just more upsetting to those who were harassed, trolled, doxxed for speaking up about anti-racism in the past and have had to watch their backs in fear while those who are practicing performative allyship can skate by. This is just my perspective.

But if I left Instagram, it would be exactly what these cowards that feel the need to create fake accounts in order to troll and harass would want. And I’m not about letting yt supremacy win. So I am stuck contemplating my role in all of this and it's ever evolving.

I know some of you will ask but it doesn’t matter specifically who it is that fu*ked up this time or what happened because if you are doing anti-racist work, then you should already be able to see it around you. For those who do want a break down of what not to do, I have a tier just for professionals in the industry to support. If you are new to anti-racism work, resources are available for you to start. I have listed some resources in previous posts and share them on Instagram stories often. Compensate Black activists and BIPOC anti-racism educators for their labor. They give out enough free content. Be aware of who actually cares about black and brown bodies versus performative (tokenism, “diversity” or “all are welcomed” statements) that only covers their ass without actually having any actions to back it up. I firmly believe that yt people should not be profiting off anti-racism work, as educators/academia.

How are you feeling about Black Lives Matter and anti-racism becoming a trend? What are you doing to not be a performative/optical ally (optical allyship only serves the surface level and not aimed at breaking away from the systems of power that oppress)? What are you doing to be a non-optical ally?

I'm personally allowing myself some grace to not be swept into the "trends". I know what I have been doing and I acknowledge that to some it might never be enough. I will still keep doing it because my goal isn't for approval or validation, it is to keep speaking out about anti-racism and continue to do my part in taking down the systems that continue to oppress marginalized groups.