Where’s My Book Deal?! | TIS E. 51

February 16, 2022 the-introvert-sisters Show Notes Comments Off on Where’s My Book Deal?! | TIS E. 51

Where’s My Book Deal?! | TIS E. 51

Episode Summary:

We’re in the middle of Black History Month, and the sisters are heated!! Why are most of the book deals going to white writers? Why are so many of the bestselling books on racism written by white people? Why are white authors and educators dominating the speaker circuit? Why are big companies with big budgets so unwilling to pay BIPOC experts for their labor? Sharon and Lisa have questions, the most important of which is: “Where (the heck) is my book deal?!” Tune in to hear the sisters’ frustrations, opinions, and solutions.

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5 Big Takeaways:

  1. On structural racism in practice: “I have a problem with the fact that a white woman, with no lived experience of racism, is making coin teaching other white people about racism…If you’re going to learn about racism, shouldn’t you be learning it from the people that actually have the experience and the knowledge to back it up?”
  2. On qualifications: “Let us disabuse ourselves of the notion that Black people are less qualified (than white people) to write about racism…Not only do I have decades of lived experience of racism, I have a Masters in Media & Culture.”
  3. On allyship in action: “What I would like some white allies to start doing is literally passing the mic…Sharing the mic means sharing the coin.”
  4. On working for free: “You don’t think 4 centuries of free labor was enough?”
  5. On hard truths: “As a white person, you cannot be an expert on racism.”

5 Juicy Quotes: 

  1.  “In this racist matrix that we live in, of course a white woman is at the top of the bestseller lists for books about racism.”
  2. “Where is my book deal? Where are my speaker engagements? Where are my appearances?”
  3. “There are Black people writing about racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and those are the people that I want to support.”
  4. “We want to get to the point where we are not struggling…We deserve to be paid for our labor…
  5. “We’ve been reading. We’ve been learning. Time for action.”

By The Numbers:

  • 1:21 – Sharon speaks about her issue with “White Fragility.”
  • 5:38 – Lisa questions Robin DiAngelo’s “support” of the culture.

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