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

  As a person of color who hasn’t always known what it means to be a person of color, I feel a deep need to share my experiences with a spectrum of folks because I think that even if you know this shit is going on, until the stupidest among us (that’s me in this example) speaks up, these things stay marginalized. More folks need to say it out loud to help break the spell.   It’s an “Emperor has no clothes” kind of situation- but in this case the emperor is just wearing a business suit but it just so happens that this is also the garb of white supremacy culture so it’s harder to spot because it's everywhere!   ... If that makes sense. Racial identity shouldn't mean anything.  Those folks who go around saying they are 'color blind' have a tiny part of the idea right, were the idea given no content at all, or were the world an entirely equitable place as it was.  But in context of the world where humans have been sold and beaten and killed based on the color of t...

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 White Supremacy, or rather,  Folx who struggle with white supremacy with me,  Whew! This was a tall cup of tea.   I hope it's not so bitter as to keep you from drinking it with me. This week, we're looking at metabolizing pain caused by WS. - Tara **************** This week's list of offerings: 1.  Stark Absence of Information 2.  I am more Valuable to Me than I am to You 3.  Wordless Pain 4.  Positive Pencil Marks 5.  Hurdles of Self Loathing 6. I Am My Body 7.  It Is Love 8.  Be in Relationship With Me 9.  Never Taught to Give an Apology 10.  A Better World for Me ************** STARK ABSENCE OF INFORMATION My own self-knowledgement has still only been acquired in the places/relationships where  white supremacy  did not hold sway.   The only relationships in which I could personally develop were the relationships where I could learn about myself in ways were contradictory to  white suprema...

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...