Wow.
I've been rehearsing what I was going to type all day, but now that I'm typing, I'm not even sure how to begin something like this.
I know some of you are waiting on the sequel to BAP's post, but that will not be the case. Effective February 3rd, 2016 - which would be the Narrative's 6th Birthday - there will be no more Blasian Narrative. By then our Twitter and Facebook accounts should be closed, and as well as our shop and official website. Effective immediately, all comments will go into moderation, and this will be the only post accepting comments. I am, however, willing to leave the AMBW Network intact because, well...videos.
This decision was not made lightly; in fact, I've been quite emotional for much of today, but optimistic. Believe or not, we accomplished a lot here. There was no blog quite like ours; we shed light on media and artists most folks didn't even know existed. In addition to entertainment, we provided insight into Blasian history and sociology. For over five years, we had a great run and amassed a wide fanbase. I am thrilled to have met you guys and written with some of you guys, and I hope to still see a lot of you At the Bar, which has been feeling neglected for some time now.
See, I started this Narrative as a safe space for people interested in AMBW, a platform where independent artists could have a voice. We were but one of many. After speaking with and reading the work of blogger BAP - a shrewd, insightful, and extremely supportive online friend whom I'm so grateful to have met - I've come to realize that contrary to popular assumption, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of AMBW groups was never race; it's gender.
Women do the heavy lifting; it's a major part of social inequality which only women (and a man here and there) care to address. And since my 2016 resolution for myself and motto for all women (especially women of color) is "Put Thyself First", I want to explore a more woman-centered focus in my blogging.
I noticed that a lot of the AMBW groups are founded and run by women; I've also noticed that many of them often comment about shutting the groups doing or vlogging about why they've left the AMBW community (I myself have withdrawn from all groups save this one). So I also want to encourage all women who find themselves doing all the work in groups where there are supposed to be male counterparts, to by all means #ShutItDown. Close up shop, and refocus all that time, innovation, and money onto yourselves, and onto one another.
So...sistas of the Narrative, if you haven't already, I strongly suggest you get to know The Black Girls' Club; my fellow writers and I will be trying to expand that blog, and our Facebook family there is steadily growing. I will also be spending early January on reorganizing and expanding Middle Child Press which, if you don't know, is a 100% woman-owned and woman-operated independent publishing house for women of color. Our hope is to one day generate a large and steady enough revenue stream that we can create job opportunities for more women.
In the meantime, feel free to share your favorite memories of the Narrative on this post; I'm interested to see how many of you have been with us since the beginning, and I'm eager to reconnect with you.
This is your girl Ankh...signing off.
I've been rehearsing what I was going to type all day, but now that I'm typing, I'm not even sure how to begin something like this.
I know some of you are waiting on the sequel to BAP's post, but that will not be the case. Effective February 3rd, 2016 - which would be the Narrative's 6th Birthday - there will be no more Blasian Narrative. By then our Twitter and Facebook accounts should be closed, and as well as our shop and official website. Effective immediately, all comments will go into moderation, and this will be the only post accepting comments. I am, however, willing to leave the AMBW Network intact because, well...videos.
This decision was not made lightly; in fact, I've been quite emotional for much of today, but optimistic. Believe or not, we accomplished a lot here. There was no blog quite like ours; we shed light on media and artists most folks didn't even know existed. In addition to entertainment, we provided insight into Blasian history and sociology. For over five years, we had a great run and amassed a wide fanbase. I am thrilled to have met you guys and written with some of you guys, and I hope to still see a lot of you At the Bar, which has been feeling neglected for some time now.
See, I started this Narrative as a safe space for people interested in AMBW, a platform where independent artists could have a voice. We were but one of many. After speaking with and reading the work of blogger BAP - a shrewd, insightful, and extremely supportive online friend whom I'm so grateful to have met - I've come to realize that contrary to popular assumption, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of AMBW groups was never race; it's gender.
Women do the heavy lifting; it's a major part of social inequality which only women (and a man here and there) care to address. And since my 2016 resolution for myself and motto for all women (especially women of color) is "Put Thyself First", I want to explore a more woman-centered focus in my blogging.
I noticed that a lot of the AMBW groups are founded and run by women; I've also noticed that many of them often comment about shutting the groups doing or vlogging about why they've left the AMBW community (I myself have withdrawn from all groups save this one). So I also want to encourage all women who find themselves doing all the work in groups where there are supposed to be male counterparts, to by all means #ShutItDown. Close up shop, and refocus all that time, innovation, and money onto yourselves, and onto one another.
So...sistas of the Narrative, if you haven't already, I strongly suggest you get to know The Black Girls' Club; my fellow writers and I will be trying to expand that blog, and our Facebook family there is steadily growing. I will also be spending early January on reorganizing and expanding Middle Child Press which, if you don't know, is a 100% woman-owned and woman-operated independent publishing house for women of color. Our hope is to one day generate a large and steady enough revenue stream that we can create job opportunities for more women.
In the meantime, feel free to share your favorite memories of the Narrative on this post; I'm interested to see how many of you have been with us since the beginning, and I'm eager to reconnect with you.
This is your girl Ankh...signing off.