It simultaneously needs to recognize the breathtaking talent and beauty of the Latina/o and African American cultural arts community and how preserving and improving the very communities that have given birth to this art is not only a force for cultural and political power for these communities, but also a matter of self-interest to Austin's Anglo-dominant, middle- and upper-middle class community.
The changing complexion of Austin's future consumers of that art is an inescapable demographic truth. Rather than trample on the aesthetic contributions of our communities, respect and bridge building need to occur. We need community conversations around race, ethnicity, gentrification, and the arts so that we can develop policies and attitudes that do not bulldoze over the ethnic, multicultural landscape that has endeared visitors to Austin for generations.
Simply put, aside from being about dispossession and disparagement, gentrification actually works at odds with the very kind of identity that not only makes Austin weird (as we pridefully say here about our city), but that also in the long run makes it profitable, beautiful, and a world-class city that is not only rich in its diversity, but prides itself on that.
-Angela
Stickers and their Discontents
by Dr. Tane WardMarch 20, 2015 · 9:46 pm
Some excellent social commentary was made during SXSW this year, something that I would have loved to see years ago. Someone put stickers on East Austin business replete with the COA logo that said, “Exclusively for white people. Maximum of 5 colored customers, colored BOH (Back of House) staff accepted.”
The satire clearly linked the historic
institutional racism of Austin with the ongoing consumer-led
gentrification and displacement on the East Side. This has stirred
discourse in the city, but to a level, which falls short of what we are
capable of. All the reaction from the media has been laughable. There is
a disturbing collective feign of ignorance floating around about the
intention and meaning of the art. Let’s not kid ourselves – it is a
pretty straightforward message about race and gentrification.
Main points aside – here are some
considerations of Stickergate before it fades into the unfashionable
fortune of having happened last week:
- The flash issue obscures gentrification.
There is a lot of
gentrification happening in the city and it is partially fueled by SXSW.
It would be great to see people take more responsibility in mitigating
the negative effects that tourism and consumer-based economies have on
historic neighborhoods. I would love the same engagement on revitalizing
the East Side and holding exploitative City and capitalist practices
accountable as I do from people reacting to relatively innocuous art.
The same week, for example, a beautiful
and historic mural on East Cesar Chavez was nonchalantly painted over by
a foreign artist. The Lotteria mural is culturally significant to Cesar
Chavez as a Mexican neighborhood, but as the makeup of businesses is
changing, our culture is being erased. This was not covered on the news,
and that layer of paint doesn’t peel off quite so easily. Neither does
the displacement of thousands of people from their neighborhoods across
the country. Another example is the demolition of Piñatas Jumpolín (see Dale Dale Dale postmarked 2/23/15)
– a far worse act in terms of destruction and insensitivity, but one
that was defended and as specifically “not racist” by many.
- People missed the satire.
Sadly, many people
thought the stickers were made by White supremacists and to be taken
literally. Geesh! I don’t know what to say. That would be like reacting
the Right Wing ravings of Stephen Colbert. Austin Mayor Steve Adler
called the act “appalling” and “offensive”. This comes from a mayor who
made no public comment of the demolition of Jumpolín or the destruction
of the Loteria mural. It seems like making White people uncomfortable is
a greater sin than destroying the culture and heritage of historic
Communities of Color (which is exactly the point of the stickers, so
maybe Adler is really in cahoots with the artist and is just laying the
satire on extra thick).
Others mistook the stickers to be aimed
at garnering ire toward the businesses and the city by framing them as
overtly white supremacist. This was not an attack on the businesses or
the city or the people associated with them. That some civil rights
leaders took it there was an unfortunate diversion. The point was to
imply that the City of Austin is racist as an institution, and
businesses cater to specific class groups that follow racially
segregated norms. There, that’s not so bad, is it?
- People misused the concepts of racism and hate-speech.
People were really
offended by the stickers and called them racist. One business owner
called it “ hate-speech”. This messaging was also consistently and
conveniently accompanied by a message of confusion – “why would they do
it?” If you do not experience gentrification as a painful reality
resulting in the displacement of your community or understand the racist
history and current structure of our city, than you might not
understand the point here. However, your ignorance does give you the
authority to claim the status of a victim. Regardless of who owns or
runs the targeted businesses – they are profiting from a system that is
rooted in exploitation. That does not mean we hate you. Please stop
pretending that pointing out social reality is hatred because it makes
you feel guilty. Racism is real and the stickers probably reflect a
painfully accurate depiction of who patronizes these businesses.
I was so flabbergasted by the conviction
of the business owner’s whine that I thought about staging a boycott of
their business – just because they so distastefully inserted their own
self-serving grievance. Instead I decided to write this. You can thank
me later (with free cupcakes – kidding!)
- The weak response from POC community leaders is inconsistent with the political history (and I’m not sure why).
Instead of Black leaders seizing the
opportunity to bring attention to the plight of their communities and
the legacies that have been mostly forgotten, Councilwoman Ora Houston,
NAACP chairman Nelson Linder and Representative Dawna Dukes all
responded with White protectionism. Completely out of touch, missing the
satire and feigning ignorance of meaning and intention, the cadre of
Austin’s old guard Black activist seemed to parrot the naiveté of the
city’s rookie mayor. How disappointing that even when the door is blown
open, these leaders failed to simply walk through it.
Each of these three community leaders has
been vocal on segregation, racism, gentrification and fair business
practices. How could they have possibly missed the satire and
the political opportunity to respond? Why when the clueless enactors of
gentrification ask “but why?” do our POC officials not have such a
simple answer? This makes the need for disruptive art/activism so
important.
- Back of House comment should not be overlooked
How many Austin businesses have POC working in the kitchen and all White, or white-passing, servers up front?
If you answered “probably most of them”, you are absolutely probably right.
Racism is inequitable outcomes where
there shouldn’t be. Mexicans are not naturally just better at washing
dishes and Whites better at serving because they have fine breeding – no
one really thinks that. No one really thinks they are racist either –
but take a look in any restaurant in town and it is plain as day – real,
live racism! I’m sure there are no business policies or city mandates
for BOH/FOH racial segregation. The point is that there doesn’t need to
be. Let that soak in before reacting.
- It is pretty funny
“Uh, Earth to Brint, I was making a joke, okay?”
With all the horribly racist violence
against People of Color, the cultural and historic racism in East
Austin, the racist outcomes of profit-driven exploitation and
gentrification and everything else POC deal with, can we have a simple
joke? The stickers peeled right off.
The fact a few little stickers are such a
problem for people is harsh. Lighten up. This is a long haul and there
is a lot of real work to be done to heal, undo racism and stop
gentrification. Don’t fall too hard.
It’s just a sticker – It’s not like somebody destroyed the neighborhood where you grew up.
Thanks to Native East Austinites Andrea Melendez & Estrella de Leon for your strength and inspiration for this response.
Some links:
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