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INVASION is a new film about the Unist’ot’en Camp, Gidimt’en checkpoint and the larger Wet'suwet'en Nation

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Let Us Stop Living Secret Lives (Sex Work & Digital Storytelling)

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Let Us Stop Living Secret Lives (Sex Work & Digital Storytelling)

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This research study explores the experiences of sex workers who live and work in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. These compelling photographs were created as part of a 15-month study. The artists share their experiences across the following areas: The Industry, Healthcare, Law, Supports, Foundations, and Basic Needs.

The study included individuals who were 18 years or older and self-identified as women, trans, or non-binary people who receive money or goods for sexual services. All have been working and/or living in the province for at least six months.

The research draws on Community-Based Participatory Visual Research. The artists shared their experiences through visual media. This enacts Paulo Freire's (1970) work about critical consciousness through imagery that explores the social world in which the artists live.

This is the first human rights study of its kind in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our goal is to raise awareness and create an understanding of the life experiences of sex workers. Ultimately, it's our hope that we will increase support for people involved in sex work.

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Human Rights | Let Us Stop Living Secret Lives

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This research study explores the experiences of sex workers who live and work in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. These compelling photographs were created as part of a 15-month study. The artists share their experiences across the following areas: The Industry, Healthcare, Law, Supports, Foundations, and Basic Needs.

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At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastic Scandal 

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At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastic Scandal 

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At the Heart of Gold Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal 2019 1080p

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Where is Cleo?

It's a mystery her family has been trying to unravel for decades after the young Cree girl was apprehended by child welfare workers in Saskatchewan in the 1970's. Her siblings say she was stolen, and then raped and murdered while trying to hitchhike back home, her body left at the side of the road somewhere in the United States.

They have no idea where she is, whether her name was changed, or if anyone has been charged in her murder.

​ Like many Indigenous children, Cleo's brothers and sisters were taken from their community, displayed in advertisements, and sent to live with white adoptive families across North America, through a controversial program called "Adopt Indian and Metis."

They've reconnected as adults and are determined to find their missing sister and penetrate the secrets shrouding the truth about Cleo.

Listen below as CBC News investigative reporter Connie Walker joins in their search, uncovering disturbing new details about how and why Cleo was taken, where she wound up, and how she died.

Episode 1: Stolen. Missing. Murdered.
Christine writes a gripping plea for help finding her eldest sister, Cleo. Connie pays her a visit and finds the only proof of Cleo's existence is a single, faded, undated school photo. As they begin to piece her family's story together, Christine gets a phone call she's been waiting years for. In it, she receives a cryptic clue which will take her search in unexpected directions.

Episode 2: Eyes that haunted me

As new information emerges about where she was sent after she and her siblings were separated, Connie meets Cleo's other sister, April, and speaks with her parents about adopting Indigenous children during the Sixties Scoop. Unbeknownst to April all of these years, her own adoption records actually contain a key detail in the search for Cleo.
Episode 3: A little lie
Cleo's older brother Johnny is the only sibling who really remembers her, the way they were taken from their mother, and the promise he made Cleo on the last day he saw her alive. He vowed to find her and still longs to fulfill that pledge. A longtime resident of Pennsylvania since his own adoption decades ago, Connie visits him and tries to understand why he has no desire to come back to Saskatchewan. A late night internet search leads the family one step closer to finding Cleo.
Episode 4: The funeral home
The search for Cleo leads Connie to investigate a headstone belonging to a 13-year old girl who died in 1978. The cemetery is more than 20 hours away from Arkansas, where Cleo's family has long believed she was killed.
Episode 5: Afraid of the dark
As Connie shares some shocking news with Cleo's siblings, the truth about what happened to her remains just out of reach. Police may have answers but can't share them yet. It's time to visit the one person who's bound to know more.
Episode 6: Little Pine
A brief encounter with someone who knew Cleo perhaps better than anyone else just before her death reveals crucial details. Connecting new facts about her life leads the investigation to a world far from where Cleo died, back to Little Pine First Nation.
Episode 7: Lillian
Connie's chance meeting with the father who Cleo never knew is followed by new revelations about the Semaganis children's biological mother, Lillian. A picture begins to emerge about why her children were taken, and when she joined the fight to stop the adoption of more Indigenous children into white homes.
Episode 8: Salesperson of the year
Digging through archives in Saskatchewan, Connie makes a shocking discovery. As she investigates the controversial Adopt Indian Métis program which Cleo and her siblings were a part of, the man who started the program agrees to speak with her about its controversial origins, and legacy.
Episode 9: Reunion
Christine travels to Pennsylvania for an emotional reunion with her brother, Johnny, who she hasn't seen since she was a baby. Determined to get more answers about the days and weeks leading up to her sister's death, Christine finally gets a copy of Cleo's death certificate. That, and other documents begin to shed light on the truth she's been seeking for decades.
Episode 10: Cleo's letters
Even though it was supposed to have been destroyed in 1983, the police file documenting the investigation into Cleo's death still exists and it contains more detail than Christine ever imagined learning about the last days, hours and even minutes of Cleo's short life.

Photos:
*New episodes every Wednesday

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Click here to listen to Missing & Murdered: Finding Cleo | CBC Radio

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Where is Cleo? Taken by child welfare workers in the 1970s and adopted in the U.S., the young Cree girl's family believes she was raped and murdered while hitchhiking back home to Saskatchewan.

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TEDx Talk with Megan Francis - Let’s get to the root of racial injustice 

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TEDx Talk with Megan Francis - Let’s get to the root of racial injustice 

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Let's get to the root of racial injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier

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"Rutherford is a journalist and former editor at Harper’s Bazaar, one of a fractional number of black voices in fashion, and a pioneering advocate championing visibility of black people in both print and editorial positions."

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My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest

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My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest

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Yesterday I was tagged in a post by an old high school friend asking me and a few others a very public, direct question about white privilege and racism. I feel compelled not only to publish his query, but also my response to it, as it may be a helpful discourse for more than just a few folks on Facebook.

Here's his post:

To all of my Black or mixed race FB friends, I must profess a blissful ignorance of this "White Privilege" of which I'm apparently guilty of possessing. By not being able to fully put myself in the shoes of someone from a background/race/religion/gender/nationality/body type that differs from my own makes me part of the problem, according to what I'm now hearing. Despite my treating everyone with respect and humor my entire life (as far as I know), I'm somehow complicit in the misfortune of others. I'm not saying I'm colorblind, but whatever racism/sexism/other -ism my life experience has instilled in me stays within me, and is not manifested in the way I treat others (which is not the case with far too many, I know).

So that I may be enlightened, can you please share with me some examples of institutional racism that have made an indelible mark upon you? If I am to understand this, I need people I know personally to show me how I'm missing what's going on. Personal examples only. I'm not trying to be insensitive, I only want to understand (but not from the media). I apologize if this comes off as crass or offends anyone.

Here's my response:

Hi, Jason. First off, I hope you don't mind that I've quoted your post and made it part of mine. I think the heart of what you've asked of your friends of color is extremely important and I think my response needs much more space than as a reply on your feed. I truly thank you for wanting to understand what you are having a hard time understanding. Coincidentally, over the last few days I have been thinking about sharing some of the incidents of prejudice/racism I've experienced in my lifetime-in fact I just spoke with my sister Lesa about how to best do this yesterday-because I realized many of my friends-especially the white ones-have no idea what I've experienced/dealt with unless they were present (and aware) when it happened. There are two reasons for this: 1) because not only as a human being do I suppress the painful and uncomfortable in an effort to make it go away, I was also taught within my community (I was raised in the '70s and '80s-it's shifted somewhat now) and by society at large NOT to make a fuss, speak out, or rock the boat. To just "deal with it," lest more trouble follow (which, sadly, it often does); 2) fear of being questioned or dismissed with "Are you sure that's what you heard?" or "Are you sure that's what they meant?" and being angered and upset all over again by well-meaning-but-hurtful and essentially unsupportive responses.

White privilege in this situation is being able to move into a "nice" neighborhood and be accepted not harassed.

So, again, I'm glad you asked, because I really want to answer. But as I do, please know a few things first: 1) This is not even close to the whole list. I'm cherry-picking because none of us have all day; 2) I've been really lucky. Most of what I share below is mild compared to what others in my family and community have endured; 3) I'm going to go in chronological order so you might begin to glimpse the tonnage and why what many white folks might feel is a "where did all of this come from?" moment in society has been festering individually and collectively for the LIFETIME of pretty much every black or brown person living in America today, regardless of wealth or opportunity; 4) Some of what I share covers sexism, too-intersectionality is another term I'm sure you've heard and want to put quotes around, but it's a real thing too, just like white privilege. But you've requested a focus on personal experiences with racism, so here it goes:

1. When I was 3, my family moved into an upper-middle-class, all-white neighborhood. We had a big backyard, so my parents built a pool. Not the only pool on the block, but the only one neighborhood boys started throwing rocks into. White boys. One day my mom ID'd one as the boy from across the street, went to his house, told his mother, and, fortunately, his mother believed mine. My mom not only got an apology, but also had that boy jump in our pool and retrieve every single rock. No more rocks after that. Then mom even invited him to come over to swim sometime if he asked permission. Everyone became friends. This one has a happy ending because my mom was and is badass about matters like these, but I hope you can see that the white privilege in this situation is being able to move into a "nice" neighborhood and be accepted not harassed, made to feel unwelcome, or prone to acts of vandalism and hostility.

2. When my older sister was 5, a white boy named Mark called her a "nigger" after she beat him in a race at school. She didn't know what it meant, but in her gut she knew it was bad. This was the first time I'd seen my father the kind of angry that has nowhere to go. I somehow understood it was because not only had some boy verbally assaulted his daughter and had gotten away with it, it had way too early introduced her (and me) to that term and the reality of what it meant-that some white people would be cruel and careless with black people's feelings just because of our skin color. Or our achievement. If it's unclear in any way, the point here is if you've never had a defining moment in your childhood or your life where you realize your skin color alone makes other people hate you, you have white privilege.

I remember some white male classmates were pissed that a black classmate had gotten into UCLA while they didn't.

3. Sophomore year of high school. I had Mr. Melrose for Algebra 2. Some time within the first few weeks of class, he points out that I'm "the only spook" in the class. This was meant to be funny. It wasn't. So, I doubt it will surprise you I was relieved when he took medical leave after suffering a heart attack and was replaced by a sub for the rest of the semester. The point here is, if you've never been 'the only one' of your race in a class, at a party, on a job, etc. and/or it's been pointed out in a "playful" fashion by the authority figure in said situation, you have white privilege.

4. When we started getting our college acceptances senior year, I remember some white male classmates were pissed that a black classmate had gotten into UCLA while they didn't. They said that affirmative action had given him "their spot" and it wasn't fair. An actual friend of theirs. Who'd worked his ass off. The point here is, if you've never been on the receiving end of the assumption that when you've achieved something it's only because it was taken away from a white person who "deserved it," you have white privilege.

5. When I got accepted to Harvard (as a fellow AP student, you were witness to what an academic beast I was in high school, yes?), three separate times I encountered white strangers as I prepped for my maiden trip to Cambridge that rankle to this day. The first was the white doctor giving me a physical at Kaiser:

Me: "I need to send an immunization report to my college so I can matriculate."

Doctor: "Where are you going?"

Me: "Harvard."

Doctor: "You mean the one in Massachusetts?"

The second was in a store, looking for supplies I needed from Harvard's suggested "what to bring with you" list.

Store employee: "Where are you going?"

Me: "Harvard."

Store employee: "You mean the one in Massachusetts?"

The third was at UPS, shipping off boxes of said "what to bring" to Harvard. I was in line behind a white boy mailing boxes to Princeton and in front of a white woman sending her child's boxes to wherever.

Woman to the boy: "What college are you going to?" Boy: "Princeton."

Woman: "Congratulations!"

Woman to me: "Where are you sending your boxes?" Me: "Harvard."

Woman: "You mean the one in Massachusetts?"

I think: "No, bitch, the one downtown next to the liquor store." But I say, gesturing to my LABELED boxes: "Yes, the one in Massachusetts."

Then she says congratulations, but it's too fucking late. The point here is, if no one has ever questioned your intellectual capabilities or attendance at an elite institution based solely on your skin color, you have white privilege.

6. In my freshman college tutorial, our small group of 4-5 was assigned to read Thoreau, Emerson, Malcolm X, Joseph Conrad, Dreiser, etc. When it was the week to discuss The Autobiography of Malcolm X, one white boy boldly claimed he couldn't even get through it because he couldn't relate and didn't think he should be forced to read it. I don't remember the words I said, but I still remember the feeling-I think it's what doctors refer to as chandelier pain-as soon as a sensitive area on a patient is touched, they shoot through the roof-that's what I felt. I know I said something like my whole life I've had to read "things that don't have anything to do with me or that I relate to" but I find a way anyway because that's what learning is about-trying to understand other people's perspectives. The point here is-the canon of literature studied in the United States, as well as the majority of television and movies, have focused primarily on the works or achievements of white men. So, if you have never experienced or considered how damaging it is/was/could be to grow up without myriad role models and images in school that reflect you in your required reading material or in the mainstream media, you have white privilege.

7. All seniors at Harvard are invited to a fancy, seated group lunch with our respective dorm masters. (Yes, they were called "masters" up until this February, when they changed it to "faculty deans," but that's just a tasty little side dish to the main course of this remembrance). While we were being served by the Dunster House cafeteria staff-the black ladies from Haiti and Boston who ran the line daily (I still remember Jackie's kindness and warmth to this day)-Master Sally mused out loud how proud they must be to be serving the nation's best and brightest. I don't know if they heard her, but I did, and it made me uncomfortable and sick. The point here is, if you've never been blindsided when you are just trying to enjoy a meal by a well-paid faculty member's patronizing and racist assumptions about how grateful black people must feel to be in their presence, you have white privilege.

He was getting stopped by cops constantly because he was a black man in a luxury car.

8. While I was writing on a television show in my 30s, my new white male boss-who had only known me for a few days-had unbeknownst to me told another writer on staff he thought I was conceited, didn't know as much I thought I did, and didn't have the talent I thought I had. And what exactly had happened in those few days? I disagreed with a pitch where he suggested our lead female character carelessly leave a potholder on the stove, burning down her apartment. This character being a professional caterer. When what he said about me was revealed months later (by then he'd come to respect and rely on me), he apologized for prejudging me because I was a black woman. I told him he was ignorant and clearly had a lot to learn. It was a good talk because he was remorseful and open. But the point here is, if you've never been on the receiving end of a boss's prejudiced, uninformed "how dare she question my ideas" badmouthing based on solely on his ego and your race, you have white privilege.

9. On my very first date with my now husband, I climbed into his car and saw baby wipes on the passenger-side floor. He said he didn't have kids, they were just there to clean up messes in the car. I twisted to secure my seatbelt and saw a stuffed animal in the rear window. I gave him a look. He said, "I promise, I don't have kids. That's only there so I don't get stopped by the police." He then told me that when he drove home from work late at night, he was getting stopped by cops constantly because he was a black man in a luxury car and they assumed that either it was stolen or he was a drug dealer. When he told a cop friend about this, Warren was told to put a stuffed animal in the rear window because it would change "his profile" to that of a family man and he was much less likely to be stopped. The point here is, if you've never had to mask the fruits of your success with a floppy-eared, stuffed bunny rabbit so you won't get harassed by the cops on the way home from your gainful employment (or never had a first date start this way), you have white privilege.

10. Six years ago, I started a Facebook page that has grown into a website called Good Black News because I was shocked to find there were no sites dedicated solely to publishing the positive things black people do. (And let me explain here how biased the coverage of mainstream media is in case you don't already have a clue-as I curate, I can't tell you how often I have to swap out a story's photo to make it as positive as the content. Photos published of black folks in mainstream media are very often sullen- or angry-looking. Even when it's a positive story! I also have to alter headlines constantly to 1) include a person's name and not have it just be "Black Man Wins Settlement" or "Carnegie Hall Gets 1st Black Board Member," or 2) rephrase it from a subtle subjugator like "ABC taps Viola Davis as Series Lead" to "Viola Davis Lands Lead on ABC Show" as is done for, say, Jennifer Aniston or Steven Spielberg. I also receive a fair amount of highly offensive racist trolling. I don't even respond. I block and delete ASAP. The point here is, if you've never had to rewrite stories and headlines or swap photos while being trolled by racists when all you're trying to do on a daily basis is promote positivity and share stories of hope and achievement and justice, you have white privilege.

Trust me, nobody is mad at you for being white. Nobody.

OK, Jason, there's more, but I'm exhausted. And my kids need dinner. Remembering and reliving many of these moments has been a strain and a drain (and, again, this ain't even the half or the worst of it). But I hope my experiences shed some light for you on how institutional and personal racism have affected the entire life of a friend of yours to whom you've only been respectful and kind. I hope what I've shared makes you realize it's not just strangers, but people you know and care for who have suffered and are suffering because we are excluded from the privilege you have not to be judged, questioned, or assaulted in any way because of your race.

As to you "being part of the problem," trust me, nobody is mad at you for being white. Nobody. Just like nobody should be mad at me for being black. Or female. Or whatever. But what IS being asked of you is to acknowledge that white privilege DOES exist and not only to treat people of races that differ from yours "with respect and humor," but also to stand up for fair treatment and justice, not to let "jokes" or "off-color" comments by friends, co-workers, or family slide by without challenge, and to continually make an effort to put yourself in someone else's shoes, so we may all cherish and respect our unique and special contributions to society as much as we do our common ground.

With much love and respect,

Lori

This article was originally published by Good Black News. It has been edited for YES! Magazine.

Read more of on White privilege and racial justice:
10 Examples That Prove White Privilege Exists in Every Aspect Imaginable The Language of Antiracism Leveraging White Privilege for Racial Justice
Inspiration in Your Inbox.

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My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest - Yes! Magazine

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Yesterday I was tagged in a post by an old high school friend asking me and a few others a very public, direct question about white privilege and racism. I feel compelled not only to publish his query, but also my response to it, as it may be a helpful discourse for more than just a few folks on Facebook.

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Roxane Gay: Confessions of a bad feminist | TED Talk

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When writer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a “bad feminist,” she was making a joke, acknowledging that she couldn’t possibly live up to the demands for perfection of the feminist movement. But she’s realized that the joke rang hollow. In a thoughtful and provocative talk, she asks us to embrace all flavo…

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Meet The Pakistani-American Artist Taking A Stand To Normalise Body Hair

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Meet The Pakistani-American Artist Taking A Stand To Normalise Body Hair

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"We don't have to conform," says Ayqa, 20.

Meet Ayqa Khan, a first-generation Pakistan-American artist taking a stand against societal pressure for women to remove body hair.

http://ayqaart.tumblr.com/

Khan is 20 years old and based in New York. She's a self-taught digital illustrator and photographer who has recently started to "conceptualise and create bodies of work centred around themes and narratives of the first-generation South Asian community."

She puts up her work on her Tumblr page and has done a series of illustrations on women's body hair.

But she wasn't always as comfortable with her body hair as she is now.

Ayqa Khan

"I would often receive negative comments from friends and family members who tried to instill this idea that body hair is 'unnatural to show' and 'unfeminine-like'. When this happened, it enforced the idea of how the removal of body hair is just a conditioning act done by society. I began to turn inward and dealt with this frustration creatively," she told BuzzFeed.

To see more of Ayqa Khan's work, follow her on Tumblr here.

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Meet The Pakistani-American Artist Taking A Stand To Normalise Body Hair

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"We don't have to conform," says Ayqa, 20. Meet Ayqa Khan, a first-generation Pakistan-American artist taking a stand against societal pressure for women to remove body hair. Khan is 20 years old and based in New York.

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Radio Interview: DeRay Mckesson June 2, 2020

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Radio Interview: DeRay Mckesson June 2, 2020

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Today on Front Burner, we speak to civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson about the concrete steps he thinks could be taken to dealwith the problem of race-based police violence. June 02, 2020.

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Front Burner

Front Burner is your essential daily news podcast, brought to you by CBC News & CBC Podcasts. Every weekday, award-winning investigative journalist Jayme Poisson takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world.

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Front Burner | CBC Podcasts | CBC Listen

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Front Burner is your essential daily news podcast, brought to you by CBC News & CBC Podcasts. Every weekday, award-winning investigative journalist Jayme Poisson takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world.

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Erin Brockovich [Video]. Universal Pictures; Columbia Pictures; Jersey Films.

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Erin Brockovich [Video]. Universal Pictures; Columbia Pictures; Jersey Films.

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Girl Interrupted. [Film]. Columbia Pictures

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Girl Interrupted. [Film]. Columbia Pictures

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Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex

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Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex

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Printable version available here. (PDF | 3.3MB)
Print friendly cover w/corrections here. (PDF | 3.2MB)

This provocation is intended to intervene in some of the current tensions around solidarity/support work as the current trajectories are counter-liberatory from my perspective. Special thanks to DS in Phoenix for convos that lead to this 'zine and all those who provided comments/questions/disagreements. Don't construe this as being for "white young middle class allies", just for paid activists, non-profits, or as a friend said, "downwardly-mobile anarchists or students." There are many so-called "allies" in the migrant rights struggle who support "comprehensive immigration reform" which furthers militarization of Indigenous lands.

The ally industrial complex has been established by activists whose careers depend on the "issues" they work to address. These nonprofit capitalists advance their careers off the struggles they ostensibly support. They often work in the guise of "grassroots" or "community-based" and are not necessarily tied to any organization.
They build organizational or individual capacity and power, establishing themselves comfortably among the top ranks in their hierarchy of oppression as they strive to become the ally "champions" of the most oppressed. While the exploitation of solidarity and support is nothing new, the commodification and exploitation of allyship is a growing trend in the activism industry.

Anyone who concerns themselves with anti-oppression struggles and collective liberation has at some point either participated in workshops, read 'zines, or been parts of deep discussions on how to be a "good" ally. You can now pay hundreds of dollars to go to esoteric institutes for an allyship certificate in anti-oppression. You can go through workshops and receive an allyship badge. In order to commodify struggle it must first be objectified. This is exhibited in how "issues" are "framed" & "branded." Where struggle is commodity, allyship is currency.
Ally has also become an identity, disembodied from any real mutual understanding of support.
The term ally has been rendered ineffective and meaningless.
Accomplices not allies.

ac·com·plice noun:
accomplice; plural noun: accomplices
a person who helps another commit a crime.

There exists a fiercely unrelenting desire to achieve total liberation, with the land and, together.
At some point there is a "we", and we most likely will have to work together. This means, at the least, formulating mutual understandings that are not entirely antagonistic, otherwise we may find ourselves, our desires, and our struggles, to be incompatible.
There are certain understandings that may not be negotiable. There are contradictions that we must come to terms with and certainly we will do this on our own terms.
But we need to know who has our backs, or more appropriately: who is with us, at our sides?

The risks of an ally who provides support or solidarity (usually on a temporary basis) in a fight are much different than that of an accomplice. When we fight back or forward, together, becoming complicit in a struggle towards liberation, we are accomplices. Abolishing allyship can occur through the criminalization of support and solidarity.

While the strategies and tactics of asserting (or abolishing depending on your view) social power and political power may be diverse, there are some hard lessons that could bear not replicating.
Consider the following to be a guide for identifying points of intervention against the ally industrial complex.

"Salvation aka Missionary Work & Self Therapy"
Allies all too often carry romantic notions of oppressed folks they wish to "help." These are the ally "saviors" who see victims and tokens instead of people.
This victimization becomes a fetish for the worst of the allies in forms of exotification, manarchism, 'splaining, POC sexploitation, etc. This kind of relationship generally fosters exploitation between both the oppressed and oppressor. The ally and the allied-with become entangled in an abusive relationship. Generally neither can see it until it's too late. This relationship can also digress into co-dependency which means they have robbed each other of their own power. Ally "saviors" have a tendency to create dependency on them and their function as support. No one is here to be saved, we don't need "missionary allies" or pity.
Guilt is also a primary ally motivating factor. Even if never admitted, guilt & shame generally function as motivators in the consciousness of an oppressor who realizes that they are operating on the wrong side. While guilt and shame are very powerful emotions, think about what you're doing before you make another community's struggle into your therapy session. Of course, acts of resistance and liberation can be healing, but tackling guilt, shame, and other trauma require a much different focus, or at least an explicit and consensual focus. What kind of relationships are built on guilt and shame?

"Exploitation & Co-optation"
Those who co-opt are only there to advance self interests (usually it's either notoriety or financial). As these "allies" seek to impose their agenda, they out themselves. The 'radical' more militant-than-thou "grassroots" organizers are keen on seeking out "sexy" issues to co-opt (for notoriety/ego/super ally/most radical ally) and they set the terms of engagement or dictate what struggles get amplified or marginalized irregardless of whose homelands they're operating on. The nonprofit establishment or non-profit industrial complex (NPIC) also seeks out "sexy" or "fundable" issues to co-opt and exploit as these are ripe for the grant funding that they covet. Too often, Indigenous liberation struggles for life and land, by nature, directly confront the entire framework to which this colonial & capitalist society is based on. This is threatening to potential capitalist funders so some groups are forced to compromise radical or liberatory work for funding, others become alienated and further invisibilized or subordinated to tokenism. Co-opters most often show up to the fight when the battle has already escalated and it's a little too late.
These entities almost always propose trainings, workshops, action camps, and offer other specialized expertise in acts of patronization. These folks are generally paid huge salaries for their "professional" activism, get over-inflated grants for logistics and "organizational capacity building", and struggles may become further exploited as "poster struggles" for their funders. Additionally, these skills most likely already exist within the communities or they are tendencies that need only be provoked into action.
These aren't just dynamics practiced by large so-called non-governmental organizations (NGOs), individuals are adept at this self-serving tactic as well.
Co-optation also functions as a form of liberalism. Allyship can perpetuate a neutralizing dynamic by co-opting original liberatory intent into a reformist agenda.
Certain folks in the struggles (usually movement "personalities") who don't upset the ally establishment status quo can be rewarded with inclusion in the ally industry.

"Self proclaiming/confessional Allies"
All too often folks show up with an, "I am here to support you!" attitude that they wear like a badge. Ultimately making struggles out to feel like an extracurricular activity that they are getting "ally points" for. Self-asserted allies may even have anti-oppression principles and values as window dressing. Perhaps you've seen this quote by Lilla Watson on their materials: "If you come here to help me, you're wasting your time. If you come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." They are keen to posture, but their actions are inconsistent with their assertions.
Meaningful alliances aren't imposed, they are consented upon. The self-proclaimed allies have no intention to abolish the entitlement that compelled them to impose their relationship upon those they claim to ally with.

"Parachuters"
Parachuters rush to the front lines seemingly from out-of-nowhere. They literally move from one hot or sexy spot to the next. They also fall under the "savior" & "self-proclaimed" categories as they mostly come from specialized institutes, organizations, & think-tanks. They've been through the trainings, workshops, lectures, etc., they are the "experts" so they know "what is best." This paternalistic attitude is implicit in the structures (non-profits, institutes, etc) these "allies" derive their awareness of the "issues" from. Even if they reject their own non-profit programming, they are ultimately reactionary, entitled, and patronizing, or positioning with power-over, those they proclaim allyship with. It's structural patronization that is rooted in the same dominion of hetero-patriarchal white supremacy.
Parachuters are usually missionaries with more funding.

"Academics, & Intellectuals"
Although sometimes directly from communities in struggle, intellectuals and academics also fit neatly in all of these categories. Their role in struggle can be extremely patronizing. In many cases the academic maintains institutional power above the knowledge and skill base of the community/ies in struggle. Intellectuals are most often fixated on un-learning oppression. These lot generally don't have their feet on the ground, but are quick to be critical of those who do.
Should we desire to merely "unlearn" oppression, or to smash it to fucking pieces, and have it's very existence gone?
An accomplice as academic would seek ways to leverage resources and material support and/or betray their institution to further liberation struggles. An intellectual accomplice would strategize with, not for and not be afraid to pick up a hammer.

"Gatekeepers"
Gatekeepers seek power over, not with, others. They are known for the tactics of controlling and/or withholding information, resources, connections, support, etc. Gatekeepers come from the outside and from within. When exposed they are usually rendered ineffective (so long as there are effective accountability/responsibility mechanisms).
Gatekeeping individuals and organizations, like "savior allies," also have tendency to create dependency on them and their function as support. They have a tendency to dominate or control.

"Navigators & Floaters"
The "navigating" ally is someone who is familiar or skilled in jargon and maneuvers through spaces or struggles yet doesn't have meaningful dialogue (by avoiding debates or remaining silent) or take meaningful action beyond their personal comfort zones (this exists with entire organizations too). They uphold their power and, by extension, the dominant power structures by not directly attacking them.
"Ally" here is more clearly defined as the act of making personal projects out of other folk's oppression. These are lifestyle allies who act like passively participating or simply using the right terminology is support. When shit goes down they are the first to bail. They don't stick around to take responsibility for their behavior. When confronted they often blame others and attempt to dismiss or delegitimize concerns.
Accomplices aren't afraid to engage in uncomfortable/unsettling/challenging debates or discussions.

Floaters are "allies" that hop from group to group and issue to issue, never being committed enough but always wanting their presence felt and their voices heard. They tend to disappear when it comes down to being held accountable or taking responsibility for fucked up behavior.
Floaters are folks you can trust to tell the cops to "fuck off" but never engage in mutual risk, constantly put others at risk, are quick to be authoritarian about other peoples over stepping privileges, but never check their own. They basically are action junkie tourists who never want to be part of paying the price, the planning, or the responsibility but always want to be held up as worthy of being respected for "having been there" when a rock needed throwing, bloc needs forming, etc.
This dynamic is also important to be aware of for threats of infiltration. Provocateurs are notorious floaters going from place to place never being accountable to their words or actions. Infiltration doesn't necessarily have to come from the state, the same impacts can occur by "well meaning" allies. It's important to note that calling out infiltrators bears serious implications and shouldn't be attempted without concrete evidence.
"Acts of Resignation"
Resignation of agency is a by-product of the allyship establishment. At first the dynamic may not seem problematic, after all, why would it be an issue with those who benefit from systems of oppression to reject or distance themselves from those benefits and behaviors (like entitlement, etc) that accompany them? In the worst cases, "allies" themselves act paralyzed believing it's their duty as a "good ally." There is a difference between acting for others, with others, and for one's own interests, be explicit.
You wouldn't find an accomplice resigning their agency, or capabilities as an act of "support." They would find creative ways to weaponize their privilege (or more clearly, their rewards of being part of an oppressor class) as an expression of social war. Otherwise we end up with a bunch of anti-civ/primitivist appropriators or anarcho-hipsters, when saboteurs would be preferred.

Suggestions for some ways forward for anti-colonial accomplices:

Allyship is the corruption of radical spirit and imagination, it's the dead end of decolonization.
The ally establishment co-opts decolonization as a banner to fly at its unending anti-oppression gala. What is not understood is that decolonization is a threat to the very existence of settler "allies." No matter how liberated you are, if you are still occupying Indigenous lands you are still a colonizer.

Decolonization (the process of restoring Indigenous identity) can be very personal and should be differentiated, though not disconnected, from anti-colonial struggle.
The work of an accomplice in anti-colonial struggle is to attack colonial structures & ideas.

The starting point is to articulate your relationship to Indigenous Peoples whose lands you are occupying. This is beyond acknowledgment or recognition. This can be particularly challenging for "non-federally recognized" Indigenous Peoples as they are invisiblized by the state and by the invaders occupying their homelands.
It may take time to establish lines of communication especially as some folks may have already been burnt by outsiders. If you do not know where or how to contact folks, do some ground work, research (but don't rely on anthropological sources, they are euro-centric), and pay attention. Try to more listening than speaking and planning.
In long-term struggles communication may be ruptured between various factions, there are no easy ways to address this. Don't try to work the situation out, but communicate openly with consideration of the points below.
Sometimes other Indigenous Peoples are "guests" on other's homelands yet are tokenized as the Indigenous representatives for the "local struggles". This dynamic also perpetuates settler colonialism. A lot of people also assume Indigenous folks are all on the same page "politically," we're definitely not.

While there may be times folks have the capacity and patience to do so, be aware of the dynamics perpetuated by hand-holding. Accomplices are realized through mutual consent and build trust. They don't just have our backs, they are at our side, or in their own spaces confronting and unsettling colonialism.
Understand that it is not our responsibility to hold your hand through a process to be an accomplice.
Accomplices listen with respect for the range of cultural practices and dynamics that exists within various Indigenous communities.
Accomplices aren't motivated by personal guilt or shame, they may have their own agenda but they are explicit.
As accomplices we are compelled to become accountable and responsible to each other, that is the nature of trust.

Don't wait around for anyone to proclaim you to be an accomplice, you certainly cannot proclaim it yourself. You just are or you are not. The lines of oppression are already drawn. Direct action is really the best and may be the only way to learn what it is to be an accomplice. We're in a fight, so be ready for confrontation and consequence.

If you are wondering whether to get involved with or to support an organization:

Be suspect of anyone and any organization who professes allyship, decolonization work, and/or wears their relationships with Indigenous Peoples as at badge.

Use some of the points above to determine primary motives.
Look at the organizations funding. Who is getting paid? How are they transparent? Who's defining the terms? Who sets the agenda? Do campaigns align with what the needs are on the ground?

Are there local grassroots Indigenous People directly involved with the decision making?

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Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex

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An Indigenous perspective & provocation. Printable version available here. (PDF | 3.3MB) Print friendly cover w/corrections here. (PDF | 3.2MB) This provocation is intended to intervene in some of the current tensions around solidarity/support work as the current trajectories are counter-liberat

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Constable Al Arsenault, along with six other policemen, document the people on their beat to create a powerful film about drug abuse. This group of officers developed a ...

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Acclaimed Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh brings us a compelling documentary that puts a human face on a national tragedy - the epidemic of missing or murdered Indigenous women ...

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What I Have Been Through, is Not Who I am

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What I Have Been Through, is Not Who I am

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What I've Been Through Is Not Who I Am Full Documentary

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Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast

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Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast

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A Decolonized Podcast for lovers on the margins, join your resident sexuality educator Ericka Hart and Deep East Oakland's very own Ebony Donnley, as we game give, dismantle white supremacy and kiki in the cosmos somewhere between radical hood epistemological black queer love ethics, pop culture, house plants and a sea of books.

Light an incense to this. #nigchampa #hrhw #theblackpoweredpodcast

To monetarily support Hoodrat to Headwrap Venmo @Ericka-Hart or PayPal: ericka@ihartericka.com

A Decolonized Podcast for lovers on the margins, join your resident sexuality educator Ericka Hart and Deep East Oakland's very own Ebony Donnley, as we game give, dismantle white supremacy and kiki in the cosmos somewhere between radical hood epistemological black queer love ethics, pop culture, house plants and a sea of books.

Light an incense to this. #nigchampa #hrhw #theblackpoweredpodcast

To monetarily support Hoodrat to Headwrap Venmo @Ericka-Hart or PayPal: ericka@ihartericka.com

Sending love from the Canadian prairies

❤️❤️such a salve.

Thought provoking

I was looking for a podcast that had more alternative views than the mainstream media allows and this one was recommended. I am riveted to every episode. I can't wait till the next one. These two present a fair, honest and intellectually stimulating point of view that is refreshing. I'm always curious about how they view things and they always back up their views with facts, articles and real historical references. I hope they continue to produce this fun and thought provoking podcast for years to come. These two are worth the listen, 100%.

💯 love

Learning so much. Thank you!

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hoodrat to headwrap: a decolonized podcast

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‎Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Podcast on Apple Podcasts

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‎A Decolonized Podcast for lovers on the margins, join your resident sexuality educator Ericka Hart and Deep East Oakland's very own Ebony Donnley, as we game give, dismantle white supremacy and kiki in the cosmos somewhere between radical hood epistemological black queer love ethics, pop culture, ho...

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 A Mother’s Voice: Documentary by Holly Fortier

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 A Mother’s Voice: Documentary by Holly Fortier

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Nisto Consulting: Aboriginal Awareness Training by Holly Fortier.

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We Won’t Be Erased – British Vogue YouTube Video:

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We Won’t Be Erased – British Vogue YouTube Video:

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While filmed around downtown Victoria BC, US & THEM, produced by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation) could take place in any Canadian town. Through her compassionate style of documentary filmmaking, Krista Loughton lends a familiarity to all that she interviews. Krista's subjects aren't "just homeless." They are not faceless apparitions wandering the streets. These people are the friends and family that we all know in our communities, who need our support.

US & THEM shatters misconceptions about why people end up on the streets, and reveals why the "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" narrative is heavily flawed. As one such interviewee, Dawnella Gautherier, reveals, leaving the streets is not as simple as going to the neighbourhood shelter. In the late 2000s, Dawnlella found herself banned from multiple shelters because of violent night terrors that she was afflicted with, caused by the death of her son.

The goal of US & THEM is to educate as many people as possible on the realities of homelessness, and to encourage proactive solutions. Filmmaker Krista Loughton wants "people to watch the film and never look at a street person, or themselves, in the same way again." To organize a screening in your town, go to usandthemthefilm.ca or email krista@usandthemthefilm.ca.
Contact:
Krista Loughton - krista@usandthemthefilm.ca
Social Media: Bio:
Krista Loughton has been passionately working on her first feature length documentary, US & THEM, for the past decade. Encouraged by her success of two previous films on homelessness, Loughton created the concept for US & THEM, a feature documentary that chronicles her experience befriending four chronically homeless, who ultimately change the course of her life. She participates on-screen in the film, while producing and being one of its writers and directors.

Loughton is the programming and community liaison at CineVic Society of Independent Filmmakers, and is a central figure in her local independent film scene in her city. She has offered advice to countless filmmakers and develops curriculum for all the courses offered through CineVic. Loughton has also worked extensively as a producer, director, editor and videographer on many short independent narratives, documentaries and music videos. She owns and operates MindFuel Films Inc., in Victoria, British Columbia.

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US & THEM: Eye-Opening Documentary on Homelessness

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While filmed around downtown Victoria BC, US & THEM, produced by Krista Loughton and Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation) could take place in any Canadian town. Through her compassionate style of documentary filmmaking, Krista Loughton lends a familiarity to all that she interviews. Krista's subjects aren't "just homeless."

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journalist Desmond Cole explores what it is to be Black in 21st century Canada. Do Black Lives Matter here?

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'Mom, I have been working with sex workers'

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'Mom, I have been working with sex workers'

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When I was growing up as a kid with disabilities - someone who uses a wheelchair and needs help in the bathroom - I had a very unique and forward-thinking relationship with my body. From a very young age, I understood that I needed help with different aspects of my life, and that in order to receive that help someone else would need to be there. That person usually ended up being my mom.

She helped me realize that my body was okay, just as it was, disability and all. I was never afraid of being naked around other people, and I have never been afraid to be vulnerable. Given my disability, that all felt second nature to me.

'That gay disabled kid'

In all honesty, this openness about my body and my needs made conversations about sexuality both easier and more difficult for me, as a disabled teen experiencing puberty. I was struggling with navigating my sexuality and my disabled identity simultaneously, and I didn't want to add another stressor onto my family as that "gay disabled kid," so there was a lot that I didn't initially share with my mom because I didn't want to be seen as a "problem."

My mom always stood by me and supported me in my journey through disabled teenhood, learning with me as we navigated it together.

When I turned 16, I came out to my mom as gay. I was so scared because I was terrified that she and my family would have to deal with an added burden. I didn't talk to her or anyone for two weeks leading up to coming out.

Instead, I blared a ton of Alanis Morissette and locked myself in my room. All of that angst was unnecessary, because when I finally told her the truth she gave me a big hug. We cried, rented Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and she told me everything would be all right.

Something else she told me that I will always hold with me is she said that things might be harder for me given the prejudice people hold against disabled people. I didn't believe her at the time, because I was young, idealistic and ever hopeful. I am 20 years older now, and those words ring so much truer than I realized. It was in these moments that I understood I could tell her anything. She would tell me the truth, and it would be okay.

A second coming out

Recently, I experienced a second coming out of sorts with my mom. I admitted to her that I work with sex workers to have my sexual needs met as a queer disabled man. Much like when I came out the first time, I was racked with guilt and shame. I didn't want her to see me as having done something bad.

We were having one of our daily chats, and I just blurted out: "Mom, I have been working with sex workers." She paused and without missing a beat said, "Oh, I think that's fantastic."

I breathed a gigantic sigh of relief. In that moment, I knew that I would never have to hide from her ever again. I felt wholly myself, as a queer disabled man.

Telling my mom that I work with sex workers has pushed me to be more open about who I am in my everyday life. I think that this experience has brought us closer not only as mother and son, but as friends too. And I love that I have my disabled body to thank for that connection.

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'Mom, I have been working with sex workers' | CBC Radio

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When I was growing up as a kid with disabilities - someone who uses a wheelchair and needs help in the bathroom - I had a very unique and forward-thinking relationship with my body. From a very young age, I understood that I needed help with different aspects of my life, and that in order to receive that help someone else would need to be there.

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Podcast: UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America

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Podcast: UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America

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You're openly gay. Then you become the leader of the largest ex-gay organization and, under your leadership, many lives are destroyed. You leave that organization, come out as gay - again - and find love. Do you deserve to be happy? This is a story of identity, making amends and John Smid's reckoning with his life.

This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh (www.hellofresh.com/UNERASED60 code: UNERASED60), Simple Contacts (www.simplecontacts.com/UNERASED code: UNERASED), Away (www.awaytravel.com/UNERASED code: UNERASED), and Audible (www.audible.com/unerased or text unerased to 500500).

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unerased: the history of conversion therapy in america

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‎UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America: 4. Smid on Apple Podcasts

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‎You're openly gay. Then you become the leader of the largest ex-gay organization and, under your leadership, many lives are destroyed. You leave that organization, come out as gay - again - and find love. Do you deserve to be happy? This is a story of identity, making amends and John Smid's reckonin...

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These are the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, mothers and grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers and f... riends of network members and allies of @MomsStopTheHarm.

They are all kind, sensitive and loving people of all ages, who fell between the cracks of our broken and failed medical system and who ultimately made mistakes that cost them their lives.

They did not choose this for themselves or for their loved ones. The pain of loss associated with substance use disorders, accidental death, overdose, drug poisoning or drug related deaths such as suicide are unfathomable and our hearts are broken with unbearable grief.

Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) is a network of Canadian mothers and families whose loved ones have died due to substance use. Our network calls for an end to the failed war on drugs and we hope to help educate society and alleviate the stigma associated with drug use, overdose, poisoning, accidental death and other drug related death such as suicide.

We envision a new approach based on reducing harm, where people who use drugs are treated with respect, compassion and offered the support that they need to get the help they so desperately want because everyone's life matters.

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These are the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, mothers and grandmothers, fathers, grandfathers and f... riends of network members and allies of @MomsStopTheHarm. They are all kind, sensitive and loving people of all ages, who fell between the cracks of our broken and failed medical system and who ultimately made mistakes that cost them their lives.

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Pattern vs Intention (w/ Teresa Lee)

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Andrew and Tawny keep it light and talk tech woes in the new normal before sitting down with comedian and writer Teresa Lee (I Think She Likes You). Topics include: things named after ethnic groups, explaining American racism to your immigrant parents, pattern vs intention, and more. Stay safe out there and call in if you have a racism question: 323-389-RACE.

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Yo, Is This Racist? - Pattern vs Intention (w/ Teresa Lee)

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Andrew and Tawny keep it light and talk tech woes in the new normal before sitting down with comedian and writer Teresa Lee (I Think She Likes You). Topics include: things named after ethnic groups, explaining American racism to your immigrant parents, pattern vs intention, and more.