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Fen Of Color United

So, Neo_Prodigy over at Live Journal has hatched a plan for a protest of all the Fail that has been Race in Sci-Fi discussions lately. I think his idea is genius. What is it?

As RaceFail 09 continues, it has become clear that there are those who are hellbent on marginalizing and silencing people of color. In the past few months, minorities have been denigrated by bigoted authors and publishers who have also asserted that Fen of Color are rare and pratically non-existent. Despite numerous discussions and attempts to enlighten on the fact that POCs are fans, writers, artists and just as integral to this genre as our white counterparts, we are continuously dismissed.

On Monday May 18, 2009, we are asking anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white to post this banner, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their favorite fandom on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible. The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.

White allies can also show solidarity for this event by posting this banner and expressing the need for diversity and speaking out against the bigotry in the genre, through posts and/or their creative work as well.

In addition, a new community entitled FOC_U has been created. It’s designed to be a safespace for POCs/non-whites and white allies to discuss the issues pertaining to RaceFail and a place to counteract its destructive effects. And it’s also a fun place for everyone to also discuss their favorite fandoms. While memberships and posts are under moderation for the time being (until the community gets more established and input is welcomed), everyone is encouraged to join and make this a home.

You can help out by spreading the word and reposting this banner on your personal blog or creating one of your own if you’d like.

The gauntlet’s been thrown and I for one think it’s past time for us to take a stand and let our voices be heard, whether some people want to hear them or not.

The banner and the community can be found here but it’s not an LJ-specific protest. So, feel free if you blog elsewhere to post your art, your words, or just to spread the word. I’ll be participating at my LJ (and I’ll cross-post here too) and I hope to see you guys doing some great things.

9 thoughts on “Fen Of Color United”

  1. Kismet says:

    Done and Done.

    hell yes.

  2. nojojojo says:

    Hey K — your post is cut off unfinished somehow. Not sure what happened…

  3. karnythia says:

    Whoops, thanks Nojo. My internet was being odd earlier so who knows.

  4. Chuck B. says:

    Outside of LMB, what other published authors are out there being racist or making stupid racist comments? I heard there was a list.

    If possible I would like only the unapologetic ones as Will Shetterly has apologized twice and LMB is trying to do it.

    Can anyone help me? I just don’t want to read their books anymore.

  5. Keeva says:

    I kind of get the sense here that “Chuck B” is trolling.

  6. sammyo says:

    Tall white guy here, SF reader, not really a member of ‘fandom’. Totally agree with the post/banner, one concern: embedded jargon. Is ‘fen’ a typo of ‘fan’? Or is it jargon? I assumed a typo until I saw a link with it in a graphic. If it’s a term not in the OED, isn’t it good practice to define it in essays and posts when first used?

    When I first dipped into the “Race Fail” discussions, I really could not follow what the heck it was all about for several days. Viva la revolution, but if the issue is slan vs jedi I may not bother to get involved.

  7. karnythia says:

    Sammyo,

    Fen is just the plural of fan.

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  10. Chuck B. says:

    I would say I am not, but I do not know what it is, Keeva. I just don’t want to spend my money on authors who dismiss me or my request to be included. I was of the understanding that there is a list somewhere.

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