Statement and Call to Action from Queerly Femmetastic, Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Chair
(Shared at BurlyCon 2024) Where professional qualifications are often weaponized to keep black women out of leadership positions, I feel that it is important for me to share my skillsets for this role upon introduction.
I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from one of the top 10 private universities in the US, and I have a master’s degree in nonprofit management and organizational development with a specific focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice change management practices.
I’ve worked with companies like Google, Netflix, and the NAACP, many smaller tech organizations, nonprofits, and academic spaces to build inclusive and equitable policies and practices.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. Large scale organizational change takes time. Systemic oppression was not built in a day and we cannot fix everything overnight. Please be patient while I assess the current state of BurlyCon and build a plan in partnership with leadership for what comes next.
2. Myself and the other committee chairs, volunteers, and board members are not your punching bags. All of your feelings deserve to be felt but your reactions are your responsibility. Take the time to process those emotions, and then present us with clear concise and actionable feedback so that we can use it to rectify past wrongs and improve this organization.
3. Martin Luther King Jr. said “The moral arc of the universe bends towards justice.” I disagree. For a long time I assumed it simply bent towards chaos because physics. But recently a quote summed up my thoughts in a way that more closely aligns with how it is that I see the world. Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison said “The arc of the moral universe bends towards those who organize most effectively.” We have just seen an important example of what organizing effectively can win you with the recent election. My role is not to change hearts and minds, but to help this organization become more effective so that we don’t have to just survive, but thrive.
If you are interested in joining the anti-racism anti-oppression committee as a volunteer and have experience in change management, organizational development, corporate DEI, and/or grassroots coalition building, please send me an email at queerly@burlycon.org.
Live long and prosper!