AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
Re self-ID stuff. I'm a bit confused by the issue of Anthony 'Ekundayo' Lennon, a white man (albeit one who says he has African heritage) who applied for and was awarded a place (one of four) and funds for a programme meant for black and ethnic minority people in the arts.
Apparently, other black artists in the UK theatre community are standing by and supporting him.
An American woman, however, Rachel Dolezal, was widely condemned some time ago for spending years 'passing as black' and working in roles that would otherwise have gone to 'People of Color' in the US.
I don't understand why what one of these people has done in terms of cultural appropriation and/or 'passing as black' is okay and the other one isn't?
I'm white and have worked in the arts sector and try to be supportive of diversity in the arts, challenging the privileged white orthodoxy to the extent I could and trying to help and support people and so on. So it seemed like a no-brainer, to me, to be critical of a white man taking up a place and funding that would otherwise have gone to someone of a more diverse background. But then again, other people working in the 'black theatre' sector, who would've been the most disadvantaged by what he's done, are speaking up in his favour.
What am I missing here?
Given the two different, contradictory responses to what seem, on the face of it, to be similar situations, I now don't know whether I'm supposed to congratulate or criticise other white people who take opportunities from black people.
Apparently, other black artists in the UK theatre community are standing by and supporting him.
An American woman, however, Rachel Dolezal, was widely condemned some time ago for spending years 'passing as black' and working in roles that would otherwise have gone to 'People of Color' in the US.
I don't understand why what one of these people has done in terms of cultural appropriation and/or 'passing as black' is okay and the other one isn't?
I'm white and have worked in the arts sector and try to be supportive of diversity in the arts, challenging the privileged white orthodoxy to the extent I could and trying to help and support people and so on. So it seemed like a no-brainer, to me, to be critical of a white man taking up a place and funding that would otherwise have gone to someone of a more diverse background. But then again, other people working in the 'black theatre' sector, who would've been the most disadvantaged by what he's done, are speaking up in his favour.
What am I missing here?
Given the two different, contradictory responses to what seem, on the face of it, to be similar situations, I now don't know whether I'm supposed to congratulate or criticise other white people who take opportunities from black people.
