You know, I could start talking about coffeeandink’s outing and how reprehensible that is; I could talk about safe spaces and the creation and violation thereof; I could talk about the intersection of class and race and economics and misogyny and culture and gender; I could talk about intersectionality period I could talk about the coding of racist language I could talk about the invisible knapsack of privilege I could talk about the power and necessity of context I could talk about the failure of every attempt to erase history I could talk about failing better and how that is a double-edged sword I could talk about the ability and desire to apologize I could talk about the desire to be innocent I could talk about intentionality and the ethics thereof I could talk about modeling dialogue I could talk about accepting criticism gracefully I could talk about discussions in good faith and bad faith I could talk about the power of uncomfortable questions I could talk about control of conversations I could talk about the power of silence I could talk about pseudonymity and anonymity I could talk about free speech as a negative right I could talk about generosity I could talk about the white man’s burden I could talk about fear I could talk about the power of grief I could talk about fruit of the poisoned tree I could talk about knowing that you don’t know enough but wanting desperately to contribute positively I could talk about freedom as an absolute and a relative value I could talk about expertise I could talk about derailment I could talk about the tone fallacy I could talk about the historical visibility pattern of others I could talk about historical parallels between others I could talk about how insulting it is to parallel experiences which are unique and individual I could talk about labels I could talk about reasonable and unreasonable expectations I could talk about reward and gift cultures I could talk about collaborative cultures I could talk about listening to hard truths I could talk about authorial intent I could talk about the difference between public speech and private speech I could talk about the power of no I could talk about the pollution of agency I could talk about the double standard of consent I could talk about tokenism I could talk about parallel and subordinate artistic traditions I could talk about exoticism I could talk about the danger of assumptions I could talk about passing I could talk about entitlement and marginalization I could talk about the uses of anger I could talk about reading as a place to hide rather than engage I could talk about default humanity I could talk about the poverty line I could talk about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps I could talk about national differences in status and class markers I could talk about the power of education I could talk about —

But you know what? I’m not going to. Because my place here is not to talk but to listen, to learn, to choose my side, and my side is with those who are in pain, to let those who are in pain tell me what they need, to be led by those who are more knowledgeable than I can ever be. So.

Here.
Writers of Color 50 Book Challenge
Verbe Noire
Fight the Derailing
The Remyth Project
Team Fandom at Kiva
Scholarship type thing for Wiscon
12th POC blog carnival
POC in SF/F Carnival call for submissions
First Asian Women Blog Carnival call for submissions
Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy and Utopia’s index of Women SF Writers of Color
Places to buy books which are owned by, operated by, or focused on authors and communities of color.

Listen. Talk. Speak. Learn. Teach. Make a difference. Make it better.