During Black History Month of 2019 I wrote a response piece to someone’s blog. A little bit over a year has passed and I would like to revisit and reflect on what I wrote.
A few weeks before my blog was written, people in the Black disabled community asked the individual to stop selling shirts that appropriated the hard work of the Black community. Non-Black allies also joined in to help elevate the voices of the Black people who were speaking up. Publicly, people were told that the “Disabled Bodies Matter” merch had been discontinued.
Regrettably, a few weeks later they wrote a blog which said that “minorities need to do better”— a clear response to the feedback they had been getting about the merch. When this blog was posted, the author engaged in public debate around if what they were saying was harmful or not.
A seemingly official campaign for the “Disabled Bodies Merch” was created on multiple social media platforms.
More posts concerning race and ethnicity were made. In one of the posts they brought up blackface and complained, once again, about ableism not getting the attention that racism does.
In addition to this all, they intentionally sought and highlighted non-white and minority ethnic individuals’ whose opinions would support their actions. One of their first posts doing this is a post which features a non-Black light skinned Latina woman, who they ask (and get) the approval of their “Disabled Bodies Matter” merch from.
The negative feedback from Black disabled individuals and their allies continued. These people were privately and publicly dismissed and gaslit.
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If you’re reading this blog, you are aware of the lynching of a Black man named George Floyd. You are aware of the outcry about it that has moved waves beyond the Black community.
People are talking about it, and rightly so. Many individuals are recognizing their faults and the need to become educated on police brutality and as well as consequences of anti-black and other racism. The Black community is, understandably, grieving as this is an issue that they do not get a break from.
George Floyd was lynched on May 25th.
May 31st, the seller of “Disabled Bodies Matter” merch made a post with screenshots of a Black influencer that addressed White women, asking where were they in the fight for Black lives— mentioning that “racial justice is a feminist issue.” The seller added their own text to the post, claiming that they want to use their platform to “show my support, solidarity, and love for my black community.” They instructed people to use their voices and their privilege. The next day they made a promotional post for the upcoming summer line for their merch. The computer-generated images for this merch featured Black and non-Black PoC individuals. After that post, they made a new one mentioning that they would not be posting on their feed for the following week although a few days later they did end up doing exactly that... This new post seemingly calling out White people for not following Black disabled people. They also added that “50% of police brutality is inflicted upon black disabled people.”
The “Disabled Bodies Merch” continued to be sold into June 2020.
Many consider it a slap in the face to both be capitalizing off of the Black Lives Matter movement while simultaneously, opportunistically pretending to care about the Black community.
All in the beginning of June they have called themselves an “ally of this civil rights evolution.” They have claimed that the majority of the Black and Black disabled community said that their merch “never interfered” with “Black Lives Matter.” After more than a year of continued feedback, they have claimed that they “immersed themself in the Black community” for “years.” They have continued to ignore non-White individuals but respond to (some) White people about the issue. They claimed that all profits of that line would be donated but made no mention of exactly where they would donate the profits and how much profit had been made over the past year. They continued to ignore the Black people asking them to stop selling the shirt, while telling a non-Black individual that they had already stopped selling the merch which was untrue at that time. When an autistic individual asked them to stop selling autism themed merch, instead of truly listening to what the person was trying to communicate to them, they claimed that there were “more pressing issues in the world right now.” They lied that this was “the first time” anyone had ever had an issue with their Disabled Bodies Matter line. When an ally to the Black disabled community brought light to this ongoing situation, they carelessly posted the ally’s social media handle to their over 70,000 followers knowing that many of these followers would attack them.
My original response piece was published towards the end of Black History Month last year. A lot of time has passed, and while continuing to affect the Black community, the original scenario became a distant memory for myself. I did not wish for things to change though I hoped that they would.
I believe that there’s something especially insidious about using this incredibly painful time for the Black community for personal gain.
I ask that people who would like to become or remain allies to the Black community (as well as other marginalized communities) to listen. No one is perfect, and no one has to be. It is not hard to become an ally. Listen, follow the marginalized community’s lead, and act. That’s it. And remember that “Ally” is not a label you give yourself. It is a label that a community can choose to honor you with, as well as take away from you.
I want to be clear that this issue is bigger than shirts.
This past year, this influencer’s platform has grown. With that, so has their ability to drown out the voices of people who are further marginalized. They have chosen to use that power to do that.
The woes of the Black community— any marginalized community— are not made for increasing your engagement.
The woes of the Black community— any marginalized community— are not made for increasing your ego.
The woes of the Black community— any marginalized community— are not going to be forgotten.
“Whites, it must frankly be said, are not putting in a similar mass effort to reeducate themselves out of their racial ignorance. It is an aspect of their sense of superiority that the white people of America believe they have so little to learn. The reality of substantial investment to assist Negroes into the twentieth century, adjusting to Negro neighbors and genuine school integration, is still a nightmare for all too many white Americans…These are the deepest causes for contemporary abrasions between the races. Loose and easy language about equality, resonant resolutions about brotherhood fall pleasantly on the ear, but for the Negro there is a credibility gap he cannot overlook. He remembers that with each modest advance the white population promptly raises the argument that the Negro has come far enough. Each step forward accents an ever-present tendency to backlash.” — Martin Luther King Jr., “Where Do We Go from Here”
"Anti racism work is NOT a self improvement space for white people. If protecting bodies & empowering black lives aren't at the center of your work then you're not here for black people -- you're simply going through motions to make your white self feel better." — Rachel Cargle