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in awe of the TIFF BLM re-brand when last year i was ghosted after having the gall to ask for more than the lowball number (which “covered” programming, marketing & promotion, onstage remarks, programme notes and essays for each screening) i was offered to move Black Gold there
amplifying black voices means paying them fairly
mere proximity to capital has never and will never pay poor black folks’ rents/costs of living.
there’s a reason why so many black folks in this industry are middle class. they can afford to take that hit. exposure actually can *sometimes* come with the long-term rewards that those who exploit us often promise, but only if you can afford to wait it out.
the weirdest part is that, having been paid for my work with tiff’s festival programming, having been paid for my writing for tiff’s the review, having been paid for my work as tiff’s onstage guest (several times), they still thought that i wouldn’t know the value of that labour?
i hesitated tweeted about this, not just knowing my “reputation” but also due to the fact that i’ve sincerely enjoyed working with the truly hardworking folks on the ground who coordinate tiff events (my favourite people honestly). but someone has to say it, you know?
anyways, looking forward to never being hired again but also sleeping well at night.
sorry, but i’m not respectable and i never will be! if you want access to my blackness, my queerness, my gender, my politics in order to reproduce it as some sort of mascot or diversity checklist, at least have the decency to pay me properly for it.
(ps. this certainly isn’t an invitation for folks to interrogate or in any way generally bother the black staff at TIFF (who i have nothing but love and solidarity for) for their opinion on the matter. leave them alone. we’re tired.)
so many of your faves really are treated like crap behind the scenes (everywhere, across the board) and it’s just not right, but their stories aren’t mine to share. i would have hoped that this moment would stir up some self-reflection at the hypocrisy of some organizations 1/2
but, of course, that is not at all synonymous with capitalistic infrastructures, which is, at the end of the day, what this industry is. 2/2
(self-reflection by people who hold power in these organizations, i mean!)
by “reputation” i mean that it’s been my experience that when you point out harmful organizational behaviours or actions, you receive the facts of your own neurodivergency, disability & accessibility thrown back in your face as if they are a personal choice or preference
i struggle a lot with hating the way my brain is wired, but honestly i respect her in as much as, based on the things i’ve heard from people who’ve hired me, she continues to exist as a seemingly personal attack on the wishes of capitalism and productivity
TIFF has an internal diversity initiative which aims to increase representation in 5 audience categories: black, indigenous, chinese, “lgbt” (2SLGBTQIA+), and, i believe, “female” (women) driven content. (bear in mind this is translated through my brain x time, so not verbatim)
i was told that, in taking on BG as part of its year-round programming, it would be a beneficial move for TIFF as obviously i check off several of these boxes. i was also told BG would receive limited promotional support & that the majority of that responsibility would fall to me
how much do you think this work is worth? what i was offered for my work on all three screenings (ie. the fall season) was less than i would receive independently contributing to the work of just one screening (programming, onstage introduction & q&a, programme notes, essay)
&, importantly, beyond this offer, & what i know for a fact other black ppl are offered (& often led to accept), is that this is also the price they put on these so-called diversity initiatives. that is the totality of their investment. it’s not just shameful, it’s shameless.
i certainly don’t want to make this all about me, i’m just sharing my own experience as an example of the ugliness at work in so many organizations right now (and for a long time). this moment in particular, w so many orgs weaponizing “diversity” for profit. we’ve had enough.
if anything, in using myself as an example, it’s a reminder that, even within this, i have so much privilege that other black folks don’t. to think of the black ppl you didn’t care to know, to pay, in the first place. & when you decide to do right & hire them, pay them fairly.
