Hello all, Anthony here, EIC for Monkeys Fighting Robots.
Out of respect for the recent protests, I want to say a few words about what’s going on. I’m not going to pretend to have any answers or act as if I understand what it feels like to be black in America. But I do believe that those of us – myself included – who are in positions of privilege need to first acknowledge our privilege and accept that we don’t understand the plight of the oppressed.
After that, we need to listen. Listen to our friends and neighbors of color. We need to speak out against systemic racism. It’s not enough to just say that you stand with the protesters. It’s not enough to post a black square to Instagram. We need to actively look for systemic racism and speak out against it on a daily basis. We need to say Black Lives Matter. Those of us who consider ourselves “allies” need to look at ourselves and admit how and where we have failed, even if it makes us uncomfortable, and every day we need to wake up and try to do better. Most importantly, we need to stay committed to the cause. We can’t speak out this week, and then go back to being silent next week. I know the situation is infinitely more complicated than that, but I also know that we can’t just sit on the sidelines and say “racism is bad.”
I know you come to our site for comic book chatter, and we still have plenty of that, but this all needs to be said. If you have a voice, you have a power. And with that power, comes a responsibility.
That’s all for now, but remember: if you’re not an active part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Until next time,
Anthony Composto
Editor-in-Chief