To start tonight, thanks to Cheryl Ball for mentioning my open-letter here in her Karios editor’s statement. Much appreciated! I stand with you and Kairos on this, as I’m sure you know. Glad to see my old friends hitting this topic head on. Makes me miss having the time to work on that staff. Kudos to all of you.
I made a post to Facebook earlier today. I’m pushing a little deeper with my protest of CCCC 2018.
In addition to that post, I wrote this, which I hope people will spread widely.
I want to talk specifically about something I mentioned in that Medium post, though: the idea of “running away.” But I want to start with a quote from Robin Hughes:
Again, since racism is so deeply embedded in our culture, we cannot assume that those who benefit from a powerful system of privilege built on race will somehow learn to see or even want to see inequity and institutionalized systems of racism overnight. Yet, what messages do we send to younger human beings when everyone who resides in the neighborhood, attends school and other events, goes to the grocery store, or even attends worship service (which is by the way, the most segregated day of the week) is the same. Harrowing as it might seem (at least I think so), never exposing young folks to difference — any kind of difference — perpetuates the madness of institutionalized racism. However, if we think about it, and we truly want to end racism, then the first step is to recognize that we have a problem. (my emphasis)
So again, to the idea that not attending a conference, or calling for it to be canceled, or relocated, is “running away.” We know what it means to “run away” in American culture. That’s not the brave move, is it? That’s what the coward does. But I’d like to suggest that we think of it a different way. I am not suggesting that anyone “run” from anything. However, if you’ve never read this piece by Ursula Le Guin, perhaps we should consider walking away. As Le Guin writes:
The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas. (again, my emphasis)
I know that those who are vested in NCTE, who are vested in CCCC, or who are white and have been in the field for ages (or perhaps not even for ages), think there’s some narrative where it’s noble and just– that it’s the right move– to have their meetings in Missouri. I know that they, when pressed, talk about the loss of money and how they make the plans for these events way in advance and can’t anticipate these things. It’s apologist rhetoric, trying at once to insist there is nothing wrong with their stance while also trying to get those listening to sympathize with how very, very hard it is to put on a convention.
That can be fixed easily. I know that some will resist this idea, but if there was less concern with the opulence of the event, less concern with grand ballrooms and with making sure that the publishers can stage epic open-bar parties at the event, and instead there was more concern with meeting the needs of the membership and putting on a good conference vs. putting on a swanky conference, it could all be planned in much less than a year. There is no need to reserve a massive Hilton hotel years in advance. If we’re supposed to believe that a discount trickles down to the members from such bookings, that’s laughable. A cheaper hotel in a lesser city would be cheaper if we had to book for retail. That’s the truth, regardless of what you might have been told. And you don’t have to take my word. You can just call places and ask. There are colleges who could host this event. There are parks, there are stadiums. There’s no reason to think that CCCC has to look like it always has. It looks like something white people with money would put on. That’s not the only way that collaboration and coming together looks.
The issue we’re face-to-face with is that the structure of CCCC, of NCTE, has a traditional sense of how to handle issues like what is happening in Missouri, and that traditional view is saturated in institutional racism. The sad truth, and I’m sorry if this seems insulting to anyone on those executive committees or sympathetic to NCTE’s position, but the truth of what they’ve said so far is that their money is more important than dignity, than the safety of its membership, and than making an actual statement. It’s easy for white people to not feel there is gravity in a travel warning for people of color. It’s harder for that same community to make a stand against obvious racism.
Going to Missouri and making just a few token gestures toward the African American community there is NOT a protest. It’s not going to bring about change.
The protest is not going. Sure, money will be lost. But going and having the conference spends way, way more money in a state that doesn’t deserve it. And the message it sends to other potential host cities is that NCTE will act upset with social justice problems but will still spend its money in a place that has done repugnant things. Worse, NCTE will write a narrative where they simply MUST, so as to not be running away, or to not be harming the people who work in hospitality in those areas (though while making the same argument, they will claim as they have that if we pull out someone else will just use the space, so they again want to have it both ways). This is hollow rhetoric.
The right decision is to not have the conferences. Either of them. But CCCC has plenty of time to move.
It’s not okay for something to be too hard for the organization to pull off. THAT is running away from a problem.
Join me in protesting by not going to either event. I hope you’ll give your money to a charity instead. There’s more information in the Medium post I linked above.
Let’s walk away. I have a strong sense that the loss of money and attendees will send a strong message. Don’t be afraid. I was, for years. I feared the institutions.
Be brave.
If you want to take a strong position, to not be “weak” and not “run away,” you need to actually do the risky thing. And the risky thing is to say “no, this isn’t acceptable. I won’t be a party to this.”