I’m writing this rant because I’m Black. I’m also old. In my 75 years of being on this planet, and 60 years as an activist, I think I’ve learned a bit about the dangers that face me and mine in this country. That may not mean anything to those of you who are not-Black, however I hope you’ll give me a listen anyway.
Some segments of social media, Faux Spews, and other parts of the mainstream media have helped ramp up approval for the toxic levels of hate, and white supremacy in this nation, which has been ongoing — from my perspective — for around 400 years. However I’m alive now, and have to do whatever I can to fight back against what we face today. Though I can no longer march in the streets, I have a computer and a keyboard and can do what I can to educate and agitate for change. The place I’ve been able to do that from since 2008 is Daily Kos.
I’ve been an unpaid community writer, then a paid contributing editor on Sundays, and now I’m a paid community contributor on Jessica Sutherland’s team as of January of 2020. I’m also one of the unpaid editors of Black Kos — one of the oldest community groups on the site. As an active participant here, like most of us who are, I have an opinion about the ongoing dispute between the Daily Kos Guild and Daily Kos management.
I responded to Markos’ most recent diary with this comment, very early in the morning today:
Thank you Markos.
I’ve been following this since the first diary from the union — and have stayed out of much of it, though I have rec’ed comments from people who have pushed back against personal vitriol against you, and DKos as a whole. I’m not staff, not in the union, yet I do hold a paid community fellowship which keeps me above water. I have deep respect for several of the folks who sadly were laid off, however I have even more respect for DKos as a whole which is a powerful bastion of defense against what I see as a dangerous time of raging white supremacy and fascism. We need DKos more than ever in these times.
I don’t like being manipulated or gamed. I have seen too much of it over the years and recognize it when it’s going down. DKos readership by virtue of our political bent as progressive Democrats are pro-union and pro-labor. I got truly pissed by certain comments insinuating that to continue reading, and contributing here makes a person/reader/supporter a scab.
I personally shared a story from my past with several people who post here. Didn’t do it on site, or even in a Kosmail.
During very fraught times in NYC when the Black and Brown Ocean Hill-Brownsville community attempted community control and anti-racism, and the teacher’s union went on strike in response— my mom became one of those striking teachers. I come from a solidly union family. I was a college student at the time, and one of my professors was a leader in Oceanhill Brownsville. I became one of the students who crossed the picket lines to keep the neighborhood schools open for our kids. My union mom gave me carfare to do so. (her school was in all-white racist Howard Beach) Never had I ever dreamed of crossing a line and being dubbed a “scab”
In the world of online media DKos reminds me of those beleaguered schools — trying to keep the doors open so that political education can continue. I’ve only been here since 2008, but have weathered a lotta pie wars. Personal attacks on Kos, Will, staff, are unacceptable. Personal attacks on those of us who pushback against being manipulated emotionally because we don’t want to be part of seeing this site go down the tubes suck.
I’ve been a union member for years and have been laid-off in the past. I’ve never gotten a benefits package like the one offered here. Never seen an organization allow the kind of public discussion that has happened in the Guild diaries. Some of those guild members I count as friends — having met them f-2-f over the years at Netroots Nation. I have zero idea who has been writing the Guild diaries. I do know some folks I’ve seen in the comments tho.
Lying sucks.
Sorry for rambling — I just woke up and need coffee.
Now that I’m wider awake, and have had more coffee, I decided I wanted to expand on the comment, after reading more of the negative attacks being made against Will and Markos, and hearing from folks who essentially are encouraging people to cancel subscriptions, and go elsewhere due to the “union busting, corporate yadda yadda nature” of management here.
The level of white privilege on display should probably shock me — but it doesn’t. I realize that my labeling much of this as such will piss some folks off. I’ve weathered many battles here, and so has Black Kos, against that very white privilege in the past. I think calling it out, no matter the feedback, has had positive results, starting at the top. Daily Kos has taken steps over time to ensure that Black folks are well represented on the staff, and in management. I rarely see that applauded, so I’m applauding it now.
I’m probably being nosy, but I wonder if any of the people writing the guild diaries are Black? This comment Markos wrote made me curious (I probably won’t get an answer):
Whether Will or I attend bargaining sessions is irrelevant. We cannot pick the Guild’s negotiating team, and the Guild cannot pick ours. That said, the Guild has been nothing but disdainful of our Black-, LGBTQ-, and women-led negotiating team.
My world is one where Black folks are shot down and killed with impunity. My world is one where Black women are dismissed, patronized, and die more frequently when pregnant — and few websites/blogs have the reach to Democrats that Daily Kos has, to fight to get more of us elected, or appointed to judgeships, or local offices.
Perhaps some of you have other places you can organize and educate from, that have the broad readership DKos does; if so, you are blessed. I’m been online for years and haven’t found one.
The characterization of DKos management as somehow anti-union/anti worker had me gasping. As a person who fought for the rights of adjunct professors in my own union (almost all of us were Black or Latino), I faced a dual struggle: to get the union to represent us, and for the college to give us benefits. It was a long and ugly battle. I look at the benefits that Guild members get here and gasp — see this link to benefits in a job description —and it doesn’t include that workers also get time off to grieve if a pet has died! (Never heard of this anywhere before)
Fox Spews, Ron DeKlantis, Donald MAGA Dump and their financial backers are united in silencing our voices.
From my perspective Daily Kos is our bunker from which to hunker down and do battle over the long haul. It’s grown from the early days when it was founded. It’s now facing a financial set back and has to retrench. I personally love and admire some of the people who were laid off — and will miss their voices here.
Does the Guild/union here have a right to fight against layoffs? Yup. Do they and other readers/commenters have a right to try to torpedo the site and try to bring it down? I guess they do, since their diary that currently has over 300 recommends is still up.
I also have a right to push back. I can’t afford to send Daily Kos any money right now. I can, however, hit my keyboard.
I will not support the ugly lies I see here today — and hope some folks will withdraw their recommends of them.
That’s all I can do.