RamsHornStudiosNov 22, 2022

I've seen a lot of white folks suggest new Black users change instances if they have a bad experience on their first Mastodon server.

Why should that be the default expectation? I understand that bad actors will always be there to create accounts and instances to harass folks.

It is incumbent on us, as anti-racist white folks, to find ways to prevent these bad actors from making our spaces unwelcoming to new Black users. It's a failure of imagination otherwise.

#BlackMastodon

Show threadPanicButtonNov 22, 2022
@jerpirate While white users should be making their spaces not shitty, Black users aren't under an obligation to stick around where they don't feel safe on the promise that things will improve in time.
Show threadGaryW
@PanicButton @jerpirate not having such an obligation isn’t the issue though. The issue is being told “just change instances”. This assumes doing so is a solution. Well, how many times does one have to move before it’s decided doing something about it (not saying something should be done but actually doing something) happens. The way it is working isn’t I don’t have an obligation to stay it is - I am obligated to leave (if I care about myself). That’s a problem.
Nov 22, 2022 at 6:10pmWeb
Show threadPanicButtonNov 22, 2022
@garyforct @jerpirate You are right, of course. As I said elsewhere, I'd seen a couple of threads where it sounded like people felt the Black users had an obligation to stay. If someone doesn't have the desire to stay and fight, that's on them.
I did not mean to suggest that leaving was the only choice.