The Introvert Sisters Talk Racism, Anti-Racism and Writing | TISOT Ep. 9
Episode Summary:
What’s more fun than meeting one anti-racism writer? Meeting two, of course. In this special co-production with Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter, Sharon and Lisa discuss how they got started in writing, and anti-racism writing; what’s made most impact on their readers; and why doing their part to dismantle white supremacy is a lifelong quest.
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3 Big Takeaways:
- On being aware of racism: “We’ve always had this awareness of issues of racism. It’s very hard to grow up in post colonial spaces or to live in white majority spaces without having that awareness.”
- On whether talking about racism is professional: “There’s this patriarchal and white supremacist idea that only certain things are ‘professional’. And we’re all affected by that no matter what the color of our skin.”
- On how to undermine racism: “No one person can dismantle racism. But everyone working together can reach different audiences. If you just touch one person, and change one person’s opinion, give them something to think about, change the direction of their life, even a little, I think that then you have done your part.”
5 Key Quotes:
- “If you affect somebody, that person who has learned from you might then take that lesson to somebody else. That’s why it’s important for us to keep doing this work.”
- “Staying mired in racism all the time is wearing, so you have to look after your mental health as well as helping people.”
- “Anti racism writing and education feels like a project that I can dedicate my life to. Because let’s face it, it’s probably going to take that long, if not longer.”
- “As an introvert dealing in a largely extroverted world, you have to develop an extroverted persona in order to get by from day to day.”
- “We all have to do something if we’re really serious about dismantling white supremacy, kicking racism to the curb.”
By The Numbers:
- 1:09 – Are Sharon and Lisa really introverts? The sisters respond to an audience question
- 4:18 – The strange coincidence that both sisters ended up as writers
- 11:23 – The sisters talk about their first steps into anti-racism writing
- 21:58 – Lisa reveals her most popular piece of anti-racism writing
- 28:40 – How does a white person approach a Black person about issues of racism?
- 35: 21 – The sisters reveal the burning issues they STILL want to write about
- 46:10 – The Q&A starts