An Author’s, observations, and opinions regarding race and gender on social media On-Line, Writing, and Ezine Magazines sites.
Just how diverse are they? Do we have a lack of difference in ethnic groups submitting to them or are some turned away? How far back does this issue go really and what can we do? Is it because of the educational injustice of equal education for all that’s to be blamed for it? No child is left behind and yet the evidence continues to grow in the literary world around us. There is a disproportionate group of writers that are submitting their works in the literary world. I am seeing a lot of Caucasian contributors and far fewer other ethnic backgrounds, one that stands out to me especially is African American. The big question is why? It’s a proven fact that children are falling through the cracks even today with the no child left behind efforts. The era of the pandemic and covid pushed all kids further behind in their learning and education. Not to mention social skills. We have more people now than ever with mental health issues due to the isolation caused by covid for many.
But what about the adults the high school graduates and college degree graduates? Where are these people in the writing world?
As both a poet, author, and writer and a member of Facebook, I see far more fellow writers that are Caucasian than any other ethnic group. It would be interesting to research how many Facebook members belong to each different ethnic group there is. Is there a disproportionate number of African Americans on Facebook as well? I don’t know but it’s a question I find myself asking this night as I draft this article on not only writers, authors, and poets but journalism as well. How far does this disease spread and how does it affect our society such as the news and what are prominent issues for all?
I find this issue quite important especially as this past month of February was Black History Month to celebrate African Americans and their accomplishments and to acknowledge the hard journey their ancestors had before them and still today.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning was the first woman poet that was a renowned poet and considered for poet laureate after Wordsworth death however Tennyson received the honor. When only men were known as poets before her. She took a stance in her writing against child labor and slavery. It is known that she believed she was of “African blood” her family had originated in Jamaican sugar plantations. However, she grew up in England and was free in her writing which circulated widely in her time. She was a woman of Christian Faith. Born in 1806 near DURHAM, COUNTY, England where she had a happy childhood until she took ill at the youthful age of fourteen. She passed away on June 29th, 1861. She was an English Poet of the Victorian era. The eldest of twelve children and wrote poetry from the age of four until her death at the early age of fifty-five from chronic lung disease. Her major achievement was her long-verse novel, Aurora Leigh. She took an active interest in the position of women in society and throughout her career wrote about the need for gender equality. She dealt with political issues of the day war, nationalism, industrialization, slavery, religious controversy, and the fight for liberty on numerous fronts. She has just recently been acknowledged as a Feminist of her era!
Now it’s interesting to note that my observations have found far many more women writers on social media sites than men. There seems to be a disproportionate number of men writers over women writers overall as well. So, there is a double whammy for Black males it seems. I don’t have any exact numbers or facts to substantiate my findings as they are a causal look into the social media injustice today, and sites with which I am familiar. I however did pay close attention to one site I am on out of three hundred featured writers there were only forty-two I counted that were African American. Yes, you heard it right forty-two out of three hundred. I must say I found it staggering, to say the least. That’s about 7.5 percent.
It’s a real issue that we need to investigate more and expose to change the clocks of time. Be conscious of the articles you read and who write them. Do they speak to you as an individual as a writer, author, poet, or journalist? What can we do as individuals to tip the scales of injustice and promote equality for all? This is your wake-up call on social media bringing things up to date in 2023.
