CultureHISTORY: The Ferguson Protests - #NMOS14

In light of Mike Brown’s murder, and the police occupation of Ferguson, something extraordinary is happening. With the help of #BlackTwitter, social media, the spotlight of national attention and the impassioned citizens of Ferguson, a protest movement is taking shape and it is important to bear witness.

First there was the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown thread which was reported in the NY Times & LA Times, the #DontShoot thread of photos (some above), and tomorrow a National Moment of Silence across the country for the victims of police brutality.  

Thursday, August 14^th – #NMOS14 - 4:00P (PT) / 6:00P (CT) / 7:00P (ET). Check cities/location here.

The issue of police brutality against communities of color is a decades-old problem. But with new technology, everyone has access to more information and these cases are getting more attention. Plus, in the last four weeks, four unarmed black men have been killed by policemen across the country. Along with Mike Brown in St. Louis, Eric Garner in New York, John Crawford in Dayton, OH and Ezell Ford in L.A. Yes, it’s time for a movement.

From today on Twitter: I often see “I wish [bestselling writer] would include POC/LGBT characters!” But There are other writers who do this. Support them.

So, you’re suggesting I read books by authors I do not like, and/or that deals with subjects I am not interested in, simply because it has a PoC/LGBT character? 

I wish certain authors would have diverse characters because these are the ones writing books I’m actually going to read. 

And I wish bestselling artists would because no matter what their next book going to be about, it would get many readers and a lot of publicity. 

Can you imagine what it would have been like for PoC and LGBT to have their group represented as one of the trio in Harry Potter? Or even just make Dumbledore openly and obviously gay? 

This is what we need. It’s not that the public isn’t aware such people exists, but they are never in the mainstream media. Correct me if I’m wrong, but seems to me this is what all those PoC justice posts are preaching. 

And best selling authors are the main streams of books, so we want them to include these characters. 

Seriously? Do you honestly believe that bestselling books are anointed and raised up by some divine hand? Like THE CLAW HAS CHOSEN? And for some reason the claw keeps choosing straight white cisgendered protagonists written by straight white cisgendered authors? REALLY?

Best selling authors don’t just HAPPEN to be in the mainstream media. Selling a lot of books MAKES someone a bestselling author and GETS mainstream media attention. But books are sold one at a time to readers who make choices about which books they want to support.

If you want more diversity, you have to buy more diversely.

And, look, I love me and I want everyone to read all my books all the time, but reading a book with a diverse cast written by JK Rowling or myself or any other white straight cisgendered writer isn’t the same as reading a book written by a person of color or a LGBTQ+ writer. It’s the difference between a secondary source and a primary source. But if you feel that FOR SOME REASON you can be absolutely sure that you’re not going to like a book you haven’t read because it isn’t already a bestseller, then I guess that’s you, but please, please, please don’t act like it’s some kind of positive political act.

And don’t you dare talk that way to Malinda.

I agree with everything Holly has said above and I admire that she said it without using the many expletives that came to my mind.

I see a lot of people watching shows/movies without diversity, reading books without diversity, and then asking for diversity in those books or those shows or those movies… 

You know, asking for diversity from creators who already showed they weren’t that interested in creating something diverse.

I think it’s important to wonder why people are drawn toward media without diversity, even when they say they want diversity. It’s partly because that’s the media that’s pushed, of course, but there is diverse media to be found, and there are so many people choosing not to go looking. Why do people think this way about the diverse media that’s there?

It’s very hard to believe anyone saying they want one thing, while they show you they want something else.

Also, what Sarah said.

some stress sketching

WHEE JUDO! 

hey do you guys know my super cool animator friend Alex Small-Butera? No? Go follow!!

Pumzi - dir. Wanuri Kahiu // Kenya

In a dystopian future 35 years after an ecological WWIII  has torn the world apart, East African survivors of the devastation remain locked away in contained communities, but a young woman in possession of a germinating seed struggles against the governing council to bring the plant to Earth’s ruined surface.

The main character is a museum curator in the future and also yes I would like see this now please

THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT THIS I DON’T LIKE

The complete short film is on youtube and it’s really good and the end kind of took my breath away. 

I must see this

crop top ninja

sunafam

And now I’m sobbing. fuck, I’m literally sobbing right now.