Tara in Whiter-land: adventures of a brown girl who can't get her head out white theatre's twat

Monday, November 9, 2020 7:43 PM w a y   t o o   n a r r o w It's two days since we got news that the most flagrant fascist in the White House of all time did in fact NOT win the country's official electoral count. LUCKY IS PROBABLY THE RIGHT WORD FOR THIS OUTCOME BECAUSE DEMOCRACY ONE BY WAY TOO NARROW A MARGIN.   Many folks are still in celebration mode here and about on the interwebs, so far as I can tell, and like any good drunk, or a stoner using an Indica, you better believe peeps are getting sentimental. Like overly so.  Like, showing themselves to have a lot of naïve ideas about what it means to live in a country the size of Russia that nearly became Russia kind-of-naivety.  And in the midst of this sloshy return from staring death in the face, rightfully so, a lot of people are looking for who we have to thank for delivering this however temporary victory over authoritarianism.   Spoilers, there are a lot of folks to thank....

Dear WS, Here are REAL lessons from a lifetime of experience with White Supremacy.   I have been writing fervently about my life as a brown girl raised by a white family in a white-centered culture and professional environment. I am naming all the ways that White Supremacy (sometimes referred to in my writing as WS, and sometimes addressed in place of the audience who is also steeped in white supremacy, so why not?) has taught me to be in the world, the ways that I have realized were never for my benefit, but for it's own.  Through a cunning use of lesson reversal, I am naming not only the ill that we need to defeat, but also the practices and mindfulness that must be cultivated to defeat WS in your anti-racist life. Though I am not addressing White Theatre directly here, know that each and every lesson has proven itself to me time and again in our American theatre industry.  Take note. These lessons, dear reader, are my gift to you. Love, Tara ***** Lessons in Namin...