Here are some of the greatest (and I mean terrible) 1-liners from the listserv so far: "I am English and have no problem with the use of the term Anglo-Saxon. I therefore cancel my membership." You're also racist. 2/16pic.twitter.com/hPum9Dypdc
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"I suggested no. 7 'International Society for Anglo-saxon Studies'...it has some continuity with the old name & the acronym, while removing the problematic term "Anglo-Saxon." The society would thus remain recognisably the same org." The society will remain exclusionary/racist.pic.twitter.com/5FYBYaa7Pp
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"I am struggling to imagine how this book could be renamed for a 2nd edition. "Multi-Ethnic North Atlantic Insular Farms & Farming'? Farms & Farming of Germanic Tribes that Invaded England'? Can u imagine if this person gave ppl the same consideration they give book titles? 4/pic.twitter.com/wuFTjfxT5O
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"...many of the books presented had 'Anglo-Saxon' in their title/subtitle [removed ID], 'The Staffordshire Board: an Anglo-Saxon Treasure.' Will these too come under embargo by those who seek to do away with the term?" Strawman. Context. Ppl care more about titles than BIPOC. 5/pic.twitter.com/1d42roP7J6
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"I'm English, probably Anglo-Saxon, and I'm beginning to feel unwanted and disliked in a society which I happily joined at its foundation." Imagine what it's like to feel unwanted in academia because you are a BIPOC.
#whitefragility 6/16pic.twitter.com/HCK32eAUXuShow this thread -
Board member: "I first want to say that it is inaccurate to state that the Board was unaware of the term's implications or unthinking in its inclusion." The board consciously chose to include names identified as racist. They also chose not to respect the 60% majority. 7/16pic.twitter.com/qsElAHd6R8
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Same board member: "As individuals we share the views of the majority of the membership regarding the inappropriateness of the term but as a board we felt it unethical to interfere." BS. It's unethical to not stand up to racism &transphobia. No
#antiracist steps are being made.8pic.twitter.com/3C4Qcm3RSCShow this thread -
Same board member: "It was also pointed out to us that the original naming motion was simply phrased as "should ISAS change its name?" It did not specify the omission of 'Anglo-Saxon'." Galling white innocence & continued harm to BIPOC & others. 9/16pic.twitter.com/pG9AS0YQ8K
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Same board member: "we were aware that including the names on the list would be controversial & would perhaps be viewed as an endorsement which it wasn't." Total lack of respect for the majority vote & no regard for BIPOC. 10/16pic.twitter.com/2ni8PghIci
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"I wonder if unease regarding the term 'Anglo-Saxon' might be stronger in the USA than in other English-speaking countries." This old trope was debunked (even on the listserv) a mere month ago. 11/16pic.twitter.com/cXOTSPA5kF
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12/ "I also liked the idea of mentioning England rather than the English, because presenting what we do on relation to a place rather than a race might be a tiny step towards recruiting a more diverse body of students on the future." Let me explain this one in more detail below:
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That statement is well meaning but problematic. The English were not a race & are not a race. This is why we need to liaise w/ race scholars &read more critical race theory. Also nothing will change if we don't also diversify our representation within the field.
#commit2change 13Show this thread -
Enough for now but recognize that when marginalized ask for change there will always be pushback. Allies need to do the right thing by speaking up, but if something is unsalvageable, have courage to walk away &help create spaces where we can all work 2gether. Take risks. 14/16
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Note too, that the board did not come out collectively with a statement to denounce the racist and transphobic remarks on the listserv. Silence says a lot. The board (collectively) does a disservice to its membership by working in secret & masquerading as being transparent. 15/pic.twitter.com/wQl9xciYZL
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I and others thank all who spoke up. There were many. Special thanx to
@irinibus for fiery truth. Thanx to @MaryKateHurley &@kacaliendo for quick action. Thanx to@ETreharne@hatatheortan & many others for walking away from the unsalvageable in solidarity & to#commit2change 16pic.twitter.com/ObeowiF2kPShow this thread
End of conversation
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