Wow - the last few weeks have been...completely nuts, to be honest!
If you aren't really on Instagram, you may have missed the conversations that are happening there at the moment. For some, this all started when one blogger was called-out for a tone deaf post about Youth Day and Black Lives Matter, and then proceeded to demean and diminish the black and brown bloggers who were graciously trying to get her to understand where she went wrong.
Yes, this did lead to some big conversations about diversity, inclusion and racism in the blogging space in South Africa, but the reality is that there have been many of us who have been talking about these issues for a VERY long time. I think that it's important to remember that this is not just a sudden squabble between some white bloggers and brands, and POC bloggers. These issues are rooted in systems of oppression that have been and continue to be active for centuries.
So no, this isn't a new thing to talk about, but it is something to continue to talk about, and if people are starting to listen...well, then I'm going to take the opportunity to amplify the voices of those speaking the truth and adding my voice too!
I hosted 3 conversations on Instagram over the last 3 weeks, each of which looked at a different aspect of the bigger issue of race-consciousness and racism.
The links to the videos are below, but I've also made them available as podcasts (which you can find here)
Diversity and Inclusion in the SA Parenting Blogger World
How White People can Respond to Race and Racism Issues:
Prepping your children for a Race-Conscious World
My hope is that, by having these conversations that are real, honest and safe, we allow people who want to do better to have the space to learn how to be better! Hopefully we accomplished that, but the work doesn't end now - we need to be continue to do the work of anti-racism personally and in our communities.