[image via the indiegogo page]
In the wake of the #appropriationprize controversy, it’s more important than ever that we find ways to support Indigenous creators and people of clour in telling their own stories. While white media power elites were able to toss around large quantities of money to found a prize that is an affront to all people of colour and to decency in general, if we are able to contribute even a small amount to causes that directly counteract the forces of racism and appropriation in CanLit, we should.
Already, the Emerging Indigenous Voices Prize has crowdfunded far beyond it’s goal, but I think it’s crucial that we keep donating it to show that despite the power hierarchies that keep them at the top for now, that the folks organizing to oppose racism and structural inequality in the arts are much larger, much more powerful, and much more organized than they ever expected. The clock is ticking!
So I encourage you to check out this prize, which “was created to help support and nurture the work of indigenous youth. The award is crowd funded because every person, big or small, wealthy or modest in means, can make a difference. We are all the richer when there is space for all of our voices to join the conversation.”