Dear Readers,
I need to apologize, and genuinely. A few days ago I wrote an entire post about Black Panther that talked about Indigenous Futurisms without talking about Afrofuturism, or, for the most part, acknowledging the characters’ blackness. That was wrong, it was unacceptable, and I know better and should have done better. I’m truly sorry. As a scholar who cares deeply about citation practices, I not only have a desire to cite and give proper credit to sources of knowledge, I have an ethical responsibility to do so, and I clearly failed deeply in this post. As someone who thinks often about my position as a white passing Native person, I recognize that the post was particularly harmful in its erasure of Black indigenous people.
I received valid critiques of the post, and rather than carefully considering these critiques I rushed to try and fix things quickly. I added a sloppy addendum and a half hearted “sorry you were offended” apology (the kind I am so quick to condemn from others), and didn’t pause to really listen or reflect on what folks were saying to me. I checked the boxes on what I thought I was supposed to do to make it right, rather than what I genuinely understood I had done wrong.
Then yesterday I put up a post, which acknowledged harm, but in a way that centered my own story and didn’t even offer an apology. It also referred to the critics in flippant and dismissive ways, and used tone policing language to do so. I then made quick late night edits to acknowledge that flippant language, while still not offering an adequate apology or pausing to reflect further on my actions.That post was part of prior conversations I’ve had for years on the blog, but putting it in conversation with the Black Panther post diminished any standing I might have had on the idea of consenting to learn in public—because clearly I hadn’t actually learned, I only managed to deflect my discomfort at being rightfully critiqued by centering myself.
I am so sorry for both the posts, and my reactions to them. In particular, I am sorry for the antiblack erasure of the original post. I also apologize to the people who had to perform extra labor to help me get to this point of understanding, particularly my friend Eve Ewing and twitter users/readers @brujacontumbao, @Lyddlemami, @wtftsanch, and others I may have missed, whom I don’t know personally but who took the time to offer criticism.
I hope to do better and appreciate your support in holding me accountable.
Wado,
Adrienne
Comments
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nobody is perfect.
It’s great you’re posting an apology regarding your bad behavior, but in the time it took you to put up your “learning in public” post and edit it, you could have been reflecting on the criticism you received. Hopefully you’ve learned from this and will be slow to speak and quick to listen the next time you receive criticism of this nature.
Sheena Adrienne *did* reflect on the criticism she received. Perhaps you are the one who should be “slow to speak and quick to listen” – since you obviously missed that part.
Honestly what is the point of social justice if people who are forced on the ground to admittedly varying degrees – but none the less on the ground – are going to keep bashing each other around whilst every single one of us as POC are still on our knees.
I am getting older so I have seen a lot by now. I come from two very indigenous peoples. One thing to remember & which you will see in Indigenous elders from all over the World – is a skill at living in the space(s) *between* the words.
Academia is a great thing. We need words & we need advocacy & we need to analyse etc. But we also need to retain the true beliefs of our grandparents passed down for thousands of years. And that means *living* them – not only living them on paper/on screen.
Our ancestors cultivated silence. There is wisdom in silence. Some people come to it more naturally. As I am old enough to be your mum I want to only say to you not to forget how important that is. Honour your ancestors by letting all this go. Have a laugh. You are loved.
Don’t forget that this hyperanalytical world you are inhabiting is also the reason why Indigenous people are edged out… along w/ the environment etc. Cultivate the things your ancestors cultivated also… the mind they cultivated… There are different ways to fight. Don’t throw the baby out w/ the bath water…
This is a good opportunity to discover the potential intersections between Indigenous Futurism and AfroFuturism. With a look towards the past, the NMAI illuminated myriad interconnections in their 2009 exhibition and symposium:
http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/indivisible/index.html
How do those past interconnections point to the future? What would the ancestors, who were strategic thinkers and innovators, do with this?
I think you’re really beating yourself up too much. It is your blog. You are only human. Perhaps we of Native descent think we are “the good guys” and sometimes don’t see that we too can be politically incorrect. There is the unspoken rule – be careful what you say about a cultural group that you are not a member of. Just because you carry brown skin ancestry, it doesn’t mean that you understand all issues of all non-Anglo cultures. It is nice to think that we’re all brothers and sisters under the skin, but in today’s world tribalism seems to rule.
Smile – didn’t you see what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did recently when he visited India? He and his family strode off their plane in complete traditional Indian garb. The people of India were wondering what was he thinking? The Indians who greeted him were wearing suits! I’m just saying that it is not hard for people with fine intentions to get it wrong regarding a culture that is not theirs.
I am new to your site and was very moved by this. Learning out loud is not easy to do. Being afraid of inadvertently wronging others in public is what holds many of us – me more than I like – back. I am inspired by your being out there, then in listening and listening and learning and learning, and then in sharing your learning. Thank you.
I admire you more now. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and honesty, always.
People who live in glass houses (in this case the people who made the film Black Panther) should not throw stones.
New post from The Civil Arab – Amer Zahr (Palestinian American lawyer & comedian) ‘Yes, “BlackPanther” Is A Little Anti-Muslim’. (My comments in the thread on this matter are under my Orthodox name Zoé rather than Hayet – what I am also called – Arabic for the same name/word. Please read them there).
http://www.civilarab.com/yes-black-panther-is-a-little-anti-muslim/
Thank you for your apology. Too many times, we can get caught up in the coulda, woulda, shoulda thing which sadly often results in a blame-game. Rather, you turned your critiques into accountability and forward movement. Well-done!
Hope you are well since this little storm. InshaAllah 🌊🌞