Calling all BIPOC
Jun. 16th, 2020 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gossBIPOC is an acronym for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
Hello! I'mgoss and I am 4th-generation Indian, Hindu. I grew up in the Caribbean, amidst a diverse mix of cultures. I discovered Fandom in 2002, while I was abroad at university in Canada. Ngl, being in a white society was a complete culture-shock for me, but I survived it in no small part due to the wonderfully supportive community of fannish folks I found online. I was also able to connect with fans of similar backgrounds and experiences as myself, much to my delight, and it really enriched my own Fandom experience so much.
But over the years, many BIPOC have left these platforms or Fandom altogther. And I really miss having those kinds of interactions, and hearing these particular voices.
I'm curious about how many of us are out here still, whether actively posting on DW or simply lurking. Maybe you are wondering too! So I am putting up this poll, in the hopes of reaching out to and connecting with as many BIPOC fans here on DW as possible.
Please signal boost this poll and help spread the word, so as to reach as many people as we can. Thank you. :)
Hello! I'm
goss and I am 4th-generation Indian, Hindu. I grew up in the Caribbean, amidst a diverse mix of cultures. I discovered Fandom in 2002, while I was abroad at university in Canada. Ngl, being in a white society was a complete culture-shock for me, but I survived it in no small part due to the wonderfully supportive community of fannish folks I found online. I was also able to connect with fans of similar backgrounds and experiences as myself, much to my delight, and it really enriched my own Fandom experience so much.But over the years, many BIPOC have left these platforms or Fandom altogther. And I really miss having those kinds of interactions, and hearing these particular voices.
I'm curious about how many of us are out here still, whether actively posting on DW or simply lurking. Maybe you are wondering too! So I am putting up this poll, in the hopes of reaching out to and connecting with as many BIPOC fans here on DW as possible.
Please signal boost this poll and help spread the word, so as to reach as many people as we can. Thank you. :)
Poll #24211 BIPOC on DW
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 118
Are you a fan who identifies as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Colour?
no subject
on 2020-06-16 06:22 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 06:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 07:24 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 07:28 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 07:54 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 07:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 08:58 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 09:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 09:20 pm (UTC)I have to agree with the point you made about loving being part of the Chinese drama fandoms because it's nice to be stanning some non-white characters. That definitely adds to my enjoyment!
no subject
on 2020-06-16 09:28 pm (UTC)Thanks for dropping by to add your voice to the poll. Yeah, it is such a novelty for me being in a non-Western fandom for the first time. So much new and wonderful things to learn, but also being from an Asian/adjacent culture myself, there's also so many unexpectedly familiar aspects as well. It's fascinating.
no subject
on 2020-06-16 10:36 pm (UTC)I spend a lot of time thinking about things like "what if Alec Hardison grew up on the rez?"
no subject
on 2020-06-16 11:34 pm (UTC)Hey, I see you're from Missouri! I've been there! :D My brother did his masters at Mizzou, and I accompanied him to help move into the campus residence in Columbia. :) I was only there for a week, and didn't encounter much in the way of other POC, but everyone I met seemed nice.
I spend a lot of time thinking about things like "what if Alec Hardison grew up on the rez?"
Oooh! Anything involving Hardison gets a thumbs up from me. <333
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 10:53 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-16 11:43 pm (UTC)I feel like your username seems familiar to me. idk why.
Hey, I see you watched Smallville? Nawww. My first fandom. ^___^
(great default icon, btw!)
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 12:09 am (UTC)Yay, over 40 fandom olds unite! *high-fives from rocking chair*
I tried twitter and tumblr, but yeah, it's just so much more nice and comfy here on DW.
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-16 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 12:19 am (UTC)Do your parents have lots of family still in Mexico?
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 01:01 am (UTC)Me: over 50, Black American. Fannish since high school, left fandom for college, and got back into it in the mid-90s when I got a computer fast enough to get on the Internet. Although I did subscribe to mailing lists from my work computer and printed out a lot of fic on work time. Good times.
I was very active fannishly on LiveJournal during it's heyday and was a member of deadbrowalking: the people of color deathwatch over there (you can go through the archive of it as the comm is no longer active).
I had migrated my LJ into DW a few years ago but then stopped posting but for the occasional "Dear Author" letter. With my new life in the pandemic and working from home for the foreseeable future, I'm trying to post more.
no subject
on 2020-06-17 01:14 am (UTC)Also, heh - I thought I would have so much more time on my hands working from home, but somehow the days just seem to be running away from me. /o\
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 02:10 am (UTC)Here via
no subject
on 2020-06-17 02:39 am (UTC)I see we both joined
Hey, you're into embroidery! That is so neat! :)
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 03:07 am (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 03:23 am (UTC)Sure - as long as this type of thing is okay to post there, of course. :)
I'm delighted that already so many people have stopped by to say hi. The more Fans of Colour on DW who get a chance to see it the better. I appreciate your offer to signal boost!
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 03:16 am (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:00 am (UTC)East Asian gardens are prettier than the Western kind
Pshaw, no contest! East Asian gardens are AMAZING works of art.
no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:44 am (UTC)I'm second-gen Chinese-American, born and raised in the USA -- my parents came here for grad school in the late sixties, met here during that time, and for various complicated reasons ended up staying.
I hope it's all right, I've added you to my DW circle -- I have been getting into Chinese dramas recently and have been wanting to find others who are interested in them. (I've mostly been obsessing about The King's Avatar these days, but I also love Guardian, and both The Untamed and Nirvana in Fire are on my soon-to-watch list.)
no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:53 am (UTC)OMG, I just started watching The King's Avatar a few days ago! I'm about 6 episodes in, and enjoying it so far. :D
I am OBSESSED with The Untamed right now. Also, Nirvana In Fire is BRILLIANT. Both will break your heart at some point, but they are such wonderful shows. <333
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 04:48 am (UTC)I’m not 100% comfortable going into specific detail in a public space (sorry!) but as a multiethnic kid (part South American (=Spanish+Indigenous) part Caucasian (probably Dutch but via Eastern Europe) growing up back and forth between countries and then spending time in Western Europe and Southeast Asia as a young adult, it’s always been an interestingly liminal space of place, identity and culture. Everywhere is home/nowhere is home.
My experience of fandom has probably been a little interesting since a lot of the people I met first were bipoc who didn’t live in Canada/USA/Europe.
no subject
on 2020-06-17 05:21 am (UTC)(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 04:53 am (UTC)These days I put a lot of time into playing RPGs with friends, as well.
no subject
on 2020-06-17 06:43 am (UTC)Toisanese
I'm not familiar with this word, and just looked it up - so I'm glad you gave me the opportunity to expand my knowledge. :)
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 06:07 am (UTC)I'm ethnic Chinese; I live in South East Asia, and got into fandom during my stint in school in the UK, where I lived and worked for many years. I'm also older, and though my fandoms have largely been Western-centric (I'm mainly active in Les Misérables, French history rpf, opera, and comics), I'm currently lurking in Three Kingdoms fandom, watching the fannish explosion of Guardian and wuxia fandoms from the sidelines (my putonghua is horrendously rusty, but if anyone needs an assist the language front, I could make an attempt!), and embracing the unabashed trashiness that is Crazy Rich Asians, which is set in my beautiful part of the world.
It is indeed good to see BIPOC fans out there. I read what you said about the importance of visibility in BIPOC fandom, and while I am mostly over here in my quiet corner of fandom, leery of anything that looks like wank or anti-ism (or, er, kids being on my lawn), I do appreciate that I should probably be doing more, or at least being seen more -- and hence my surfacing on this lovely post of yours.
I've added you; hope that is all right!
no subject
on 2020-06-17 06:47 am (UTC)Heh. I am the same way too. I adore my quiet corner here on DW. Very nice to meet you, and I'm really glad you popped by and shared a bit about yourself with me. :)
Adding you to my reading list too. You're welcome to drop in and chat anytime you wish. :)
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 06:51 am (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 07:17 am (UTC)LOL. Very nice to meet you, and glad to know that you're still around DW. :)
no subject
on 2020-06-17 08:53 am (UTC)And whoaaaa, finding other Indo-Caribbeans in fandom is a rare treat, so thank you for sharing! I'm half Filipino, half Guyanese Indian, born in the UK and living in Australia so I guess I'm an interesting mess.
no subject
on 2020-06-17 03:56 pm (UTC)Right?? I always feel like we are a rare species in Fandom, but somehow there are a lot more of Indo-Caribbeans here than I thought. :D
I'm half Filipino, half Guyanese Indian, born in the UK and living in Australia so I guess I'm an interesting mess.
Ha! I love your mix-up! Many in my family are scattered across the globe and married into even more different cultures than we grew up in. So your situation feels totally familiar to me. *g*
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:18 pm (UTC)Glad to see so many POC on DW- I had no idea!
RIGHT??? I am overjoyed that so many people are adding their names here. :)
I suspected that many of us were scattered in isolated pockets unable to see each other...
no subject
on 2020-06-17 10:52 am (UTC)I wanna try tackle this more now, and these comments seem like a really friendly space, so ^_^ I'm 2nd gen Pakistani-British, Muslim, living in Scotland. I joined fandom in 2008/9, took a break of a few years, and then got proper stuck in again in 2013. Have been here ever since! Started on FFn.net, moved to tumblr for a very brief stint, then to twitter for a few years, and now I pitch my flag on dreamwidth as of a few years ago. Dreamwidth is by far my preferred fandom hub, even if it is very quiet for my own fandoms (or I just haven't found it yet!). I've always stuck to very quiet pockets of fandom, sticking to private spaces whenever possible, so the quieter (or at least calmer) nature of journal fandom is very appreciated :D
no subject
on 2020-06-17 04:31 pm (UTC)*nods* I suspect it is this way for many of us. I only started making a conscious effort to put more of my indiviual cultural identity out there, after spending many years projecting only a tiny fraction of myself - meaning only the parts that I had in common with fandom folks around me.
these comments seem like a really friendly space, so ^_^ I'm 2nd gen Pakistani-British, Muslim, living in Scotland.
Thank you so much for sharing some of your background with me. And I for one would welcome your thoughts about culture stuff, the good/bad, interesting/boring parts, any time you wish. :)
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2020-06-17 12:58 pm (UTC)I didn't strongly feel the need for Arab representation until I read Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon and suddenly realised how much I craved to read about Arab culture. I'm also extremely sick of Arabs only being terrorists in most mainstream media. I just can't watch shows or movies that do that anymore.
I guess I should use my DW for something other than exchange letters. This gives me motivation to do so!
no subject
on 2020-06-17 02:37 pm (UTC)And yes omg - media basically equating Arab culture and the T-word as one and the same is THE WORST.
(I'm not even Arab/Muslim, but have an Arab-ish sounding last name, so aside from the brown skin, you can imagine the scrutiny I've gotten when producing ID at international airports etc. *headdesk* My brother has to ensure he's properly clean-shaven to even get on an airplane. *more headdesk* This kinda nonsense is probably 100x worse for you guys. :/)
I guess I should use my DW for something other than exchange letters. This gives me motivation to do so!
Yay! Please do! I look forward to hearing more from you around these parts. :) :)
^^
on 2020-06-17 01:38 pm (UTC)1st gen Nigerian-American. I've been decently open with my background but know more carribean-british BIPOC than anything. Started in anime fandom and eventually made my way over to Harry Potter, went through a strong Glee phase and i'm now firmly in Black Panther.
Re: ^^
on 2020-06-17 02:20 pm (UTC)know more carribean-british BIPOC than anything
Heh, why am I not surprised - Caribbean people find our way everywhere! LOL.
i'm now firmly in Black Panther
The Black Panther movie was amazing! Feel free to drop by and share your BP feels any time you wish.
Also, actor Winston Duke is from my tiny country, so it was cool to see one of "my own" on the big screen. He played such an awesome character, and I'm happy for his success. :D
no subject
on 2020-06-17 02:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2020-06-17 03:04 pm (UTC)Are you in Canada? Just curious. My college roommate in Toronto was of Ojibwe heritage.
(no subject)
Posted by(no subject)
Posted by