I’m reposting this here (from many sources) both because I think it’s great and that many women of color should participate, and because I need to remind myself to write something for this, too. You know, in between doing the twenty-gazillion other things on my to do list… sheesh!
ANNOUNCING: WOMEN OF COLOR BLOG CARNIVAL
~~~a call out for submissions~~~
Because Women of Color recognize that real world structural inequalities such as poverty, violence, imprisonment, and community neglect, have restricted our access to the resources the internet has to offer our communities,
Because Women of Color recognize that computer literacy is a right that has long been denied to our communities,
Because the internet has been used as a tool to further racist, sexist, and anti-queer fantasies/representations of Women of Color,
Because Women of Color recognize that these racist, sexist, and anti-queer fantasies/representations have very real world consequences for our communities and us,
Because Women of Color demand that the resources the internet has to offer be available to our communities,
Because Women of Color demand that computer literacy be restructured as to include those of us who must learn the computer in restricted settings (libraries, prisons, institutions, etc)
Because Women of Color demand a powerful, healthy, intelligent and WHOLE representation of themselves on the internet,
the Radical Woman of Color Blog Carnival has been created!!
**Centering the voices, opinions, issues, interests, demands, problems, and solutions of women of color, this blog carnival will be used to connect the real world issues such as poverty, violence, imprisonment, and community neglect to the blogosphere.
**Publication date will be the first (1rst) of every month.
**The first publication will be put out at Jenn’s blog; www.reappropriate.com
**TOPIC ONE:
What does the internet *mean* to a woman of color?
Although often touted as the “last frontier†and positioned as something which is essential to learn in the modern day world, the internet has often been used to further very scary and unrealistic resprentations and fantasies of women of color. Furthering this passive violence, it is often the sweat shop labor of women of color that creates computers to begin with.
At the same time, however, the interent can be and often is used as a tool to connect isolated young mothers to other mothers, survivors of sexual violence to advocacy groups, disabled women to resources and a whole generation of amazing teens to other teens. The blogosphere is also used specifically as a space to cover stories that mainstream press refuse to or is too scared to.
To harnass the good of the internet, it is essential for Women of Color to better define what the interent means to us, (the good and the bad) and then work together to figure out how we can use it for our communities purposes and needs.
As such, we will be accepting submissions which question, challenge, discuss, explore, and name what the internet has meant and what it *could mean* to women of color. Is it a site of sexualized violence? A site of sexualized freedom? An opportunity to make your voice heard where there was none before? A site of further marginilization and disappointment? Some examples of excellent critiques of the internet that might get your creative juices flowing:
Where Are My Asian Sisters? by Jenn
Why the Internet Hurts Women of Color by Nubian
But of course, these are just examples–creative writing, art, journal type entries, etc will all be accepted!
Send us your stories!!!
Because this is a Woman of Color Carnival for women of color and put together by women of color, this carnival will prioritize those submissions written by and that centralize women of color issues.
To nominate or submit posts, you may email them to Jenn at jenn@reappropriate.com.
