Marie Varghese, "Race, Sexuality, Cyberactivism and
the Legacy of Rashawn Brazell" (Page 3 of 3)
When Rashawn's case was rejected by traditional media channels, it
was picked up by blogs and broadcast far and wide. In a number of
concrete ways, blogging represents a new media technology that enables
people from marginalized groups to communicate with each other, share
information, and form powerful networks of belonging that can function
both within and outside of cyberspace. Furthermore, the act of blogging
serves to refocus the lens and add depth to the few available images of
queer experiences in the United States.
Now in its second year of existence, The Rashawn Brazell Memorial
Fund awards an annual $1,500 scholarship to students of color who reside
in New York City. (For more info, see
www.rashawnbrazell.com/scholarships) In addition, the
community-building that became so evident in cyberspace sparked the
creation of a series of fundraising parties in Rashawn's honor
throughout various queer-friendly spaces in New York City. Appropriately
titled, "Brighter Days," these parties help to distinguish the vibrant
legacy of Rashawn's life from the bleak shadow cast by his death. These
significant accomplishments would not have been possible without the
tireless efforts of bloggers who have a history of writing about race
and sexuality. These bloggers are personally affected by the daily
instances of homophobic, racist, and sexist violence against queer
communities of color.
Trailblazing black lesbian poet Audre Lorde once wrote, "My response
to racism is anger . . . once I did it in silence, afraid of the weight
. . . women responding to racism means women responding to anger, the
anger of exclusion, of unquestioned privilege, of racial distortions, of
silence." Indeed, Lorde instructs us to tap into our own "arsenal of
anger" to inform our activism and refine our practice. Her words resound
in the hearts of queer activists of color even today, as she recognizes
that "my anger has meant pain to me, but it has also meant survival, and
before I give it up, I'm going to be sure that there is something at
least as powerful to replace it on the road to clarity . . . I am not
free as long as one person of color remains chained. Nor is any one of
you."[1]
For those of us who have been profoundly moved by Rashawn's inspiring
life and tragic death, we will not be satisfied with a 30-second sound
bite for Black History Month. The Rashawn Brazell Memorial Fund, whose
operation relies almost entirely on the Internet, is committed to
proactive and sustainable activism that takes seriously the challenges
and concerns of our youth. Whereas more traditional types of organizing
might require surveys and other cumbersome types of person-to-person
outreach to assess the needs of the community, cyberactivism, and
blogging in particular, has enabled us to connect more directly to the
communities we aim to serve. Keeping our finger on the pulse of the
community's needs in this way has been and will always be a central
organizing principle for the Memorial Fund. We will continue to heed
Audre Lorde's legacy and address the glaring gaps of injustice with our
words, our stories and our activism—in hopes that we might be able to
channel our anger and rage into meaningful social change.
Endnotes
1. Audre Lorde, "On the Uses of Anger: Women
Responding to Racism," Sister Outsider, (Freedom, California:
Crossing Press, 1984). [Return to text]
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