Disturbed by reports of Black Mastodon users—Black women in particular—having negative experiences on this app, including being randomly banned for discussions of racism. Some of these users will not come back. All will share their experiences. The answer is not to condescendingly lecture them on “how the fediverse works,” as if their experiences are inevitable, nor to swear to do better next time. (There may not be one.) It’s to do better now lest the reputation of this app be cemented.
@mergerson reading about @chanda and some other folks’ experiences on here is definitely why it took me so long to join and why even though I’m here now I feel very unsure about what my level of engagement will be.
@sjjphd @chanda I’m in that stage where the neighbors have been friendly and welcoming so far but I’ve heard about some things about the neighborhood, and I’m wondering if someone’s going to call the cops if I go for a walk later tonight.